THE LIFE OF 

THE 

REV. ALFRED COOKMAN. 



THE LIFE O 



THE 




REV. ALFRED COOKMANj 



WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF HIS FATHER, 



THE REV, GEORGE GRIM3TON COOKMAN. 



BY 

' V 

HENRY B. RIDGAWAY, D.D. 



WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY THE REV. R. S. FOSTER, LL.D. 

Bishop of the M. E. Church. 





\ 

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by 
Harper & Brothers, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



TO 



MRS. MARY COOKMAN, 

MOTHER OF ALFRED COOKMAN, 

THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN LADY WHO, THROUGH A LONG LIFE, HAS SO 
BEAUTIFULLY EXEMPLIFIED THE DOCTRINES 
TAUGHT BY HER SON, 

&f)ts Volume fs ^ffectfonatelj? Enscrtueti 

BY 

THE AUTHOR. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE COOKMAN FAMILY. — GEORGE GRIMSTON COOKMAN . . 1 9 

CHAPTER II. 

THE REV. GEORGE G. COOKMAN IN AMERICA. — THE BIRTH 

OF ALFRED 34 

CHAPTER III. 

THE GROWING FAME OF REV. GEORGE G. COOKMAN. THE 

CHILDHOOD OF ALFRED 49 

CHAPTER IV. 

REV. GEORGE G. COOKMAN IN THE CAPITAL OF THE NA- 
TION. — THE YOUTH OF ALFRED ." 63 

CHAPTER V. 

REV. GEORGE G. COOKMAN LOST AT SEA. — ALFRED'S RAPID 

PROGRESS 8l 

CHAPTER VI. 

ALFRED, THE CHRISTIAN WORKER. — ESSAYS AT PREACHING 95 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE YOUTHFUL PASTOR. — HIS FIRST CIRCUIT Ill 



viii 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

FROM COUNTRY TO CITY. TRIP TO ENGLAND 1 25 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE FOREIGN TOUR. ENGLISH SCENERY AND FRIENDS.. 138 

CHAPTER X. 

HOME AGAIN. MARRIAGE. — MINISTRY AT WEST CHESTER 

AND HARRISBURG, PA 1 52 

CHAPTER XI. 

MINISTRY AT CHRIST CHURCH, PITTSBURGH, PA. — INCREAS- 
ING FAME AND USEFULNESS 1 69 

CHAPTER XII. 

MINISTRY AT GREEN STREET CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA. 

REMARKABLE REVIVAL 191 

CHAPTER XIII. 

THE UNION CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA. SLAVERY AGITA- 
TION. — CHRISTIAN UNION 212 

CHAPTER XIV. 

REMOVAL TO NEW YORK. MINISTRY AT THE CENTRAL 

CHURCH. PATRIOTISM AND THE CIVIL WAR 229 

CHAPTER XV. 

TRINITY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. — THE ARMY OF 

THE POTOMAC AND THE CHRISTIAN COMMISSION ..... 258 

CHAPTER XVI. 

RETURN TO PHILADELPHIA. — PASTORATE OF THE SPRING 

GARDEN STREET CHURCH.— AMONG THE CHILDREN ... 28 1 



CONTENTS. 



ix 



CHAPTER XVII. 

SPRING GARDEN STREET CHURCH. — CIVIL RIGHTS OF THE 

COLORED RACE. — VACATION AT CAMP-MEETINGS 297 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

SPRING GARDEN STREET CHURCH. — THE NATIONAL CAMP- 
MEETING MOVEMENT 314 

CHAPTER XIX. 

SPRING GARDEN STREET CHURCH. — DEATH OF GEORGE 

COOKMAN AND OF ALFRED BRUNER COOKMAN ...... 328 

CHAPTER XX. 



GRACE CHURCH, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE. THE NATIONAL 

AND OTHER CAMP-MEETINGS. — MISSIONARY JUBILEE. . . 345 

CHAPTER XXI. 

GRACE CHURCH. SKILL IN THE PASTORATE. — NATIONAL 

CAMP-MEETINGS AT HAMILTON, OAKINGTON, AND DES- 



PLAINES 369 

CHAPTER XXII. 

GRACE CHURCH. — THE PENINSULA CONVENTION 384 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

CENTRAL CHURCH, NEWARK, N.J. — OCEAN GROVE CAMP- 
GROUND. NATIONAL CAMP-MEETINGS AT ROUND LAKE 

AND URBAN A 402 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE LAST CAMP-MEETINGS. — FAILING HEALTH. — THE LAST 

SERMON 425 

A 2 



X 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE LAST HOURS. SWEEPING THROUGH THE GATES .... 442 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

ESTIMATES OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF ALFRED 

COOKMAN 457 



INTRODUCTION. 



The lives of the good and great are the heritage of the ages. 
While they are with us they enrich us with our choicest treas- 
ures. When they depart from us they bequeath the still richer 
legacy of the memory of their noble deeds and exalted virtues 
— richer, because what was little and ignoble in them perishes 
with their dust; while only what was good and pure remains, 
taking on greater lustre after their translation. From their 
thrones in the heavens they shed down upon us a more potent 
influence than that which they excited when they were journey- 
ing the vale of our earthly suffering with us. They do not 
more really live in their far-off homes than in our memories 
and fond affections. We do not see them or touch them — 
much as we long to — but we feel their presence and power. 
We persuade ourselves that invisibly they linger in our homes 
as ministering angels — if not sharing our sorrows, at least 
watching in loving vigils over us. 

As when they were alive we wanted every one to know and 
love them, so, being dead, we desire to transmit to unborn ages 
the knowledge of them. The desire, I take it, is not more 
natural than beautiful — not more honoring to the dead than 
ennobling to the living. 



Xll INTRODUCTION. 

There is that in a true biography which charms us with a 
strange spell. We find in it, however it may differ from our 
own history and experiences, an image of our deepest self; 
which, under all varieties, is in substance the same in every 
humanity. We witness the same struggles of the better with 
the more ignoble qualities — the same alternations of doubt 
and trust, of fear and hope — the same sorrows and joys and 
loves — the same earthly and heavenly longings — the same tug- 
gings at the heart — the same successes and defeats — the same 
all things that enter into this strange earthly life we are living 
— the same coming and going of the bright and dark days over 
the mottled landscape of our being. So we are rebuked and 
comforted, chided and encouraged on the same page. The 
communion, when the life we contemplate is on the whole 
beautiful and good, is healthful. Unconsciously we enter into 
its confluence, make it our own, and, with greater clearness 
than if it were actually ours, discern and appreciate its good 
and evil. 

What a wonderful thing a human life is ! Who considers 
it rightly ? I do not now mean some human life, but any 
human life — not the life of the great more than the little. 
On some day — and it matters not when or where — the 
good God, Father of us all, lays a little babe on a wom- 
an's breast. It is a wee thing, just breathing a soft, sweet 
breath, the faintest ripple of an unconscious life — the merest 
germ. It is the dawn of an immortal history of strange, I was 
about to write divine, consciousnesses. Earthquakes rend the 
globe, great forces convulse, it may be, the sidereal universe, 



INTRODUCTION. Xlll 

but in that fragile bosom are stored potencies mightier than 
all material agencies — not so obvious, but infinitely greater. 
Helpless it lies there on the pillow of maternal love. The 
fountain springing at its lips nourishes it. It drinks and sleeps 
and grows. A little while and its dull eye grows bright. In- 
quisitive wonder looks out between the lids. The days and 
weeks and months swell into years. The baby is a boy — the 
boy a youth — the youth a man. Mustering up the years to 
the drum-beat of each pulse, come joys and sorrows, hopes and 
loves. Young manhood, with its witching ardors and exciting 
but too delusive hopes, stands, flushed with pride and ambi- 
tion, before us. Real life is in the offing. As yet it opens 
with brightness and beauty. The gathering clouds show only 
the silver linings — it is morning, with the sweet breath of spring. 
But on behind these come other years. The dun level of 
middle manhood and mature age crowds quick upon the 
vanishing hold of youth. Now life is real and earnest. Sor- 
rows and cares and labors flood all the moments to their 
brim — and heartaches and weariness come with the morn- 
ing and thicken to the evening. The great, hard world, with 
its manifold evils, and the stormy eternity, with its terrors, 
open upon the gaze of the immortal spirit. The struggle is 
brief. Death strikes : one part of a life has been lived — the 
greater part remains. Such is the outline of each human histo- 
ry. To one there is more of evil, to another more of good ; 
but the story is the same. Among these lives comes occa- 
sionally one of more than ordinary beauty, and men love to 
gaze on it and linger over it. It is the charm of the genera- 



Xiv INTRODUCTION. 

tion — of the ages. When it vanishes, the darkness shrouds 
us all. 

Such was the life delineated in these pages. It rarely hap- 
pens that so noble a subject finds so worthy a biographer. 
The book will be found crowded with beauty and entertain- 
ment from beginning to end. The story it tells will not be in- 
teresting to all ; but to every admirer of the delicate delineation 
of pure and noble manhood it will be rich as a poem. It is 
more than a biography. The distinguished father is scarcely 
less the subject of the sketch than the gifted son. The writer 
has brought the entire Christian commonwealth under obliga- 
tion, by restoring the lustre of an almost perished name, which 
was once the joy of all denominations in two hemispheres. 
Especially American Methodism, in which the name of George 
G. Cookman has been as sweet incense for two generations, 
will gladly acknowledge the debt. 

Alfred Cookman, the immediate subject, has but lately 
passed away. His memory is yet fresh with us all — the mem- 
ory of the joy we had of his rare ministry, and of the sorrow — 
yet unassuaged — that thrilled us all by his sudden death. 

The work of delineating his character and reciting the story 
of his life is done in the following pages. Dr. Ridgaway, the 
life-long friend, not more qualified by close intimacies than by 
the rare and peculiar qualities of his own mind, has left noth- 
ing to be added or desired. It is a high commendation to his 
work to say that he has done justice to his subject. Yet I 
can not close this brief introduction without laying a small 
tribute on the shrine of Alfred Cookman, and it shall relate to 



INTRODUCTION. XV 

a single aspect of his character, which profoundly impressed 
me, as I think it did every one. I never thought him a genius. 
He was not, in my judgment, transcendently gifted. He 
was eloquent, and many times mighty in the pulpit. I am 
certain that this was the verdict of thousands that hung with 
delight and profit on his words. But it was not his great intel- 
lectual power, nor yet his persuasive eloquence, that impressed 
me chiefly. The one quality in which he seemed to me to rise 
above not only the mass of men and the select best, but, I must 
say it, above every man it has been my privilege to know, 
was the sacredness of his entire life. Not in the pulpit 
alone, not in the prayer-circle alone, nor in his pastoral walks 
exclusively, but ever}- where and at all times he seemed in- 
vested — not with simulated sanctity — but a Christliness that 
was as beautiful as it was impressive. His own life was the 
ablest sermon he ever preached on the subject with which his 
name is so intimately associated. He lived "the higher life," 
even more than he preached it. His sweet, gentle, and holy 
walk was both more eloquent and convincing than his most 
impassioned discourses. His dying words — fitting culmina- 
tion to his sacred life — will echo in Christian song clown the 
centuries : " Sweeping through the gates, washed in the blood 
of the Lamb !" 

R. S. Foster. 

Madison, X. J., July, 1873. 



" Suffer me to imitate the passion of my God. My Love is crucified ; 
there is no fire in me desiring earthly fuel ; that which lives and speaks 
within me says—' Home to the Father.' " 

St. Ignatius yearning for Martyrdom. 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



CHAPTER L 

THE COOKMAN FAMILY. — GEORGE GRIMSTON COOKMAN. 

The Rev. Alfred Cookman was descended from a worthy 
ancestry. His father, the Rev. George Grimston Cookman, was 
a man of such powers and fame • his talents and reputation be- 
came, by so remarkable a providence, the inheritance of his 
son; his influence upon the son was so direct and continuous, 
that I find, in the absence of any adequate account of the father, 
it is quite impossible to do justice to either without dwelling 
more fully on the career of the father than a biography of the 
son would seem to allow. While it might be honor enough for 
George G. Cookman to be remembered as the father of Alfred, 
yet there was that in him— in what he was and did — which 
makes it proper that no extended memoir be given of the son 
without such a portraiture of the father as shall be in some de- 
gree worthy of his distinguished character and services. 

My apology for dwelling longer on the annals of the father 
than is customary in such cases, is the simple desire to so pre- 
sent the name of Cookman, made illustrious first in the father, 
and maintained afterward in the son, as that it shall be trans- 
mitted an unbroken name, suggestive of sanctity, eloquence, 
and usefulness wherever known and pronounced. 

George Grimston Cookman was born in the town of King- 
ston -upon -Hull, Yorkshire, England, October 21, 1800. His 



20 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



parents were George and Mary Cookman. Of these parents 
George himself wrote in 1825 to Miss Mary Barton, who was 
then his betrothed, and afterward became his wife : " My father 
is the younger brother of an old English family who, as sturdy 
yeomanry, had resided upon their family estates in the east end 
of Holderness for five generations back. My father left home 
early in life, and at eighteen years of age became serious, and 
a member and local preacher in the Methodist Society. He is 
constant in all his purposes, and unwavering in all his attach- 
ments — a judicious rather than a romantic husband, a kind 
rather than a fond father. He is independent in his principles 
even to the verge of republicanism ; what the world terms a 
downright honest man. Yet there are perplexing paradoxes in 
his character. Possessing genuine, active courage, he hides it 
under a natural diffidence and modesty; with deep and strong 
feeling, he will generally pass for what Alfred calls a phlegmat- 
ic melancholic. Indeed, he has brought himself under so se- 
vere mental discipline and such habitual caution, that he re- 
presses all that gives a glow to feeling or a brilliance to thought 
under the fear of committing himself. But when you can draw 
him out of his shell, you find he can conceive and feel and 
speak with both brilliance and power. As a Christian, he is 
eminently consistent, liberal, and unwavering. I have some- 
times thought that his habitual judgment has induced a want 
of faith in temporal matters, but I have met with few men so 
even and constant in their religious walk. Now my mother is 
almost the reverse of all this. She was the daughter of a re- 
tired and wounded officer of the Royal Navy; was left an orphan 
in early life, and w r as educated in the same house with her cou- 
sin, Mr. John Bell, of Portington. She became pious in early 
life, and endured much persecution from her uncle with un- 
flinching courage. She enjoyed the blessing of perfect love for 
many years, and when in health was eminent for activity and 
good works. She possesses a much higher range of talent 



THE COOKMAN FAMILY. 



2 I 



than my father — has more genius and less judgment — romantic 
in all her feelings, ardent in her attachments and resentments. 
She has ten times as much faith as my father. She has a keen, 
ready mind, but wants comparison and discrimination. She 
has a vehemency of impulse, and a strength and decision of 
will, and a power of faith which, if it had been united with a 
strong frame in the other sex, would have made her an eminent 
missionary. Now my father professes little, but feels a great 
deal; my mother feels deeply, and tells you of it too." He had 
a brother, Alfred, younger than himself by four years, and a sis- 
ter, Mary Ann. Of them he also wrote, in order to complete the 
picture of the family : "Alfred is the finest youth I have ever 
met with — high in all his notions, lofty and liberal in his prin- 
ciples. Pride and ambition are his ruling passions. Of lion- 
like spirit, headstrong self-will, and a most vehement and over- 
bearing temper, the world will see in him a second Brougham. 
And yet I know no one to whom you might commit yourself 
for candid judgment with greater confidence than our Alfred. 
Mary Ann, my beloved Mary Ann, is a most affectionate and 
amiable girl. I thought two years ago she would be a tame, pass- 
ive character, but she is developing striking and spirited traits. 
She has more perseverance and judgment for her years than 
either I or Alfred. I think she will not be behind either in 
intellect, and before both in prudence." 

What is here said of his brother Alfred is not too strongly 
put. From the testimony of friends, and the proofs given in his 
letters, essays, and speeches, he must have been a youth of un- 
usual promise. He early devoted himself to God, and became 
one of the most exemplary Christians. His tastes and convic- 
tions led him to choose the law for his profession. When this 
preference was expressed, the judicious father laid before him 
all the difficulties which would lie in his path : The long and 
expensive process of college and professional education j the 
still longer period which must elapse before he could reasonably 



22 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



expect to get into practice ; the want of patronage j the envy of 
the aristocracy, ever manifested to aspirants at the bar spring- 
ing from the middle classes of society; and concluded by say- 
ing, "Remember, Alfred, if you insist on this course, the whole 
of your patrimonial fortune will be expended on your education;" 
to which Alfred fearlessly and magnanimously replied, "I care 
not when I enter the bar if I have not a shilling. I will make 
my own fortune, you may depend upon it." His facility of 
speech, readiness in debate, quickness of perception, wit — his 
striking person, and deep-toned and melodious voice — made him 
from boyhood "one of nature's orators." On one occasion, in 
the debating society of which he was a member, a gentleman of 
the bar from London chanced to hear him, and remarked aft- 
erward, " I would give my library, and all I am worth in the 
world, to have the amazing power of reply exhibited by that boy." 
He passed successfully through the course at Glasgow Univer- 
sity, where he had the most capable^of instructors, and listened 
on Sundays to such preachers as Chalmers and Wardlaw. 

After his graduation from the University, he went up to 
London and entered a law-office. While engaged in his studies 
there, he became convinced of his duty to preach the Gospel. 
He determined to enter the ministry ; and accordingly returned 
home, and began to apply himself unremittingly to a course of 
reading preparatory to admission into the Wesleyan Conference. 
His application was too close, his vigils too protracted ; his 
health failed, and he speedily fell into a pulmonary consump- 
tion from which he died. 

Mr. Cookman, the father, was one of the best representatives 
of the English middle class. By success in trade he rose to 
that degree of affluence which enabled him to live in a style of 
great comfort and quiet dignity ; by his reputation for sound 
judgment and probity, he acquired the respect and confidence 
of his fellow-citizens, and was elected mayor of Hull, a position 
which he retained for many years ; and by his earnest and con- 



GEORGE GRIMSTON COOKMAN. 



23 



sistent devotion to the doctrines and usages of Wesleyan Meth- 
odism, he enjoyed the loyal affection of both the preachers and 
laymen of his denomination throughout his neighborhood. His 
good sense, genial piety, and generous hospitality made his 
house a centre of Methodist influence. In politics he sympa- 
thized with the more advanced men and measures of his times. 

It is evident, however, that the mother, from the brief descrip- 
tion already given, was the inspiration of the Cookman home. 
Her ardent temperament, vivid imagination, active faith, and 
courage, imparted to the sons the living spark which kindled in 
them a genius for speech and for the heroic in action. She 
was one of the women of gentle birth who became a Methodist 
when it was a reproach to be one ; and, persecuted for her faith 
by her own family, she knew what it was to hold to convictions 
when it required the keenest suffering to do so. At the shrine 
of her self-denying piety was lighted the flame of the future 
missionary's zeal — a zeal which burned in him resistlessly till 
quenched in death. Thus we see that the parent stock from 
which the Cookmans of this and a former generation were de- 
rived was one combining in the father and the mother that hap- 
py union of qualities which usually gives rise in the offspring to 
distinguished powers and successes. 

George Grimston, as the eldest born of his parents, very nat- 
urally received a large share of their attention. In an account 
of himself written in 1826, before entering the regular ministry, 
with a view to his own improvement, he records, " Never was a 
child more carefully instructed, more carefully watched over, or 
more earnestly exhorted by Christian parents to love and serve 
God than myself. And perhaps up to my eighth year the in- 
fluence of these gracious instructions so far operated as to pre- 
serve me from the guilt of actual sin." At this time he was sent 
away to school ; where, through evil associations, he was led 
astray and fell into some sinful habits. He was, however, at 
this early period the subject of keen convictions of conscience. 



24 



LIFE OF ALFRED CQOKMAN. 



He lived with the fear that every night would be the end of the 
world. While the other boys of the school were sleeping qui- 
etly, he would be standing at the chamber window, " momenta- 
rily expecting the Judge to descend and the trumpet to blow." 
His views of sin and of personal guilt were not such as to lead 
to repentance. He was soon after removed to another school 
at a fashionable watering-place, where he began " a career of 
more decided sin and folly." At fourteen he returned home a 
different being, changed in principle and purpose — far astray 
from the simplicity with w r hich at eight he had left the parental 
roof. His father took him promptly under his care, and through 
his guidance he imbibed a taste for books, and became a read- 
er especially of history. He was put to business, kept dili- 
gently at work, but was encouraged to read in all his leisure 
hours. He became a member of a public library association, 
and formed, with several other intelligent young men, a debating 
club, thus finding in literary pursuits a wholesome diversion for 
his active nature, and also a means of stimulating and train- 
ing his intellect. In contact with Grecian and Roman charac- 
ters and institutions, he acquired the lofty notions of freedom 
and the rights of man which marked his subsequent career. 
Literature, though attractive, did not reform him ; business was 
incapable of it : he gave the reins to passion, and plunged into 
the stream of worldliness. 

When about eighteen years old he became a teacher in a 
Methodist Sunday-school. He was impelled by motives which 
he could not regard as genuine : "I approved of the design the- 
oretically ; besides, my parents being Methodists, I thought I 
should assist in their Sabbath-school; but I had no more knowl- 
edge or regard for the religious duty or responsibility of a teach- 
er than the babe unborn." He was convicted of sin through 
the questioning of his scholars as to the meaning of God's Word. 
"I began seriously to think and reason about the matter in 
the following way : Why, I have come forward to instruct these 



GEORGE G. COOKMAN'S RELIGIOUS AWAKENING. 2$ 

children, and I am ignorant myself. I, who talk to them about 
serving God, am serving the devil, and on the road to hell — 
yea, every boy in my class might turn round and say, ' Physi- 
cian, heal thyself.' " 

I can not give the story of his conversion more succinctly 
than he has done it : " These goadings and lashings of a con- 
demning conscience made me miserable, and compelled me to 
a more close examination of my condition ; and soon I saw 
that I was miserable and helpless, and blind and naked ; that I 
stood obnoxious to God's holy law ; was under the Almighty's 
curse, and each moment in danger of everlasting ruin. Still, 
however, I was rather convicted in judgment than broken in 
heart, and it is probable that these gracious impressions would 
have been overwhelmed by the strong bias of my mind to evil ; 
but the good Lord added one or two other circumstances to 
aid and quicken the spiritual conviction. Just at that time I 
was disappointed in a particular friendship, which sickened and 
soured my mind to this world's enjoyments, and immediately 
upon this, the dearest friend I had in the world, after an illness 
of three clays, died. This was the consummation of my mis- 
ery • it seemed the final blow. I was tired of life, yet afraid to 
die ; I was indulging in the world, yet sick of its pleasures ; 
amid society, I was solitary ; while within my own heart I car- 
ried the alarm-bell of a guilty conscience — in short, I hated 
life, I hated myself, I was miserable ; this misery was not re- 
pentance ; it was misanthropy, not contrition. And, indeed, so 
well convinced was I of this, that when the pious Methodists 
kindly invited me to partake of the blessings of Christian com- 
munion, I told them that I was totally unfit to be a member of 
their society, as I had not a desire to flee from the wrath to 
come. I had no soft compunctions on account of sin, no reali- 
zation of guilt toward God; but the obdurate misery and wretch- 
edness of a disappointed votary of pleasure. Thus I contin- 
ued as miserable as I could be. Yet I did reform my outward 

B 



26 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



conduct j I did forsake my gay and frivolous companions • nay, 
more, I acted diligently as secretary in a large Sabbath-school, 
and endeavored, amid a multiplicity of business, to bury all 
knowledge and memory of myself. But this arose not from any 
clear sense of duty, or any love to God or men, but simply be- 
cause I was sick and tired of the world ; and, as I could not 
enjoy it, I forsook it. At length, however, the day-spring arose 
in my benighted soul ; the light of grace showed me more per- 
spicuously my real condition. I saw that I had lost the image 
of God — bore the image of the Evil One ; that I was ignorant 
in understanding, corrupt and deceitful in heart, polluted in body, 
and desperately wicked in conduct. I saw that in my present 
state it was impossible I could be saved, for 'without holiness 
no man can see the Lord.' I saw clearly that I must be eter- 
nally lost; for already I was under sentence of death, and God 
was bound by his immutable word to punish all transgression. 

" Under these gracious convictions, having fully resolved to 
seek salvation, to renounce the world, and to serve God, I joined 
the Methodist Society in February, 1820, and soon I found the 
blessings of Christian fellowship. Under the fatherly instruc- 
tion and care of my excellent leader, light beamed brighter 
into my soul : I was called to see deeper into my own deprav- 
ity, and finally I clearly apprehended that salvation was only to 
be obtained by faith in a crucified Redeemer. Nine months 
did I seek the blessing of justification earnestly and with many 
tears. Often in secret places, in garrets, in the open fields, or 
under hedges, I have poured forth my requests with strong cries, 
•but still the day of liberty seemed at a distance, until I had 
well-nigh despaired. One Saturday night I had retired to rest 
under considerable condemnation for having indulged in an ac- 
rimonious spirit toward a near relative. I recollect, before I 
fell asleep, this passage gave me considerable trouble, ' Let not 
the sun go clown upon thy wrath.' I awoke (I believe by the 
providence of God) about two o'clock in the morning, and my 



CONVERSION AND RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY. 



27 



misery and horror of mind were indescribable. All the weight 
of my sins seemed now bearing down upon my wretched soul, 
and ready to force me down to that bottomless pit which ap- 
peared just yawning ; in this situation I cried mightily to God 
for deliverance and pardon, but the heavens were as brass to 
my prayers, and the storm of Almighty wrath increased apace. 
My agony of mind was now wrought up to its highest pitch, 
when suddenly I caught a glimpse of Christ on Calvary; then I 
cried with the desperation of a drowning man, /Lord, I believe; 
help Thou my unbelief!' 'Lord, save or I perish!' 'Though 
Thou slay me, yet will I believe in Thee ! ' And suddenly there 
was a great calm — the storm was hushed — the burden was gone 
— and I felt that God, for Christ's sake, had forgiven me all 
my sins. Being justified by faith, I had peace with God through 
my Lord Jesus Christ. It is true I had not that rapturous joy 
which some testify; but I had the peace which passeth all un- 
derstanding. Oh ! yes ; the Spirit did bear witness with my 
spirit that I was a child of God. I lay me down, and sweetly 
fell asleep ; and in the morning, when I awoke, I asked, Is this 
a dream ? And I felt it was indeed a truth that I was justified 
freely through the blood of Christ." 

The young believer now found a great difference in his ex- 
perience, not only in the comfort which arose from a sense of 
acceptance with God, but also in the easy victory over sin which 
his spiritual renewal had bestowed. Nor was he content to 
rest in the experience of divine favor; he at once gave himself 
to religious work in various plans of benevolence, such as the 
Young Men's Visiting Society and the Juvenile Branch Mis-- 
sionary Society. Yearning for the salvation of souls, he began 
very soon to feel the desire " for a broader field of labor as a 
preacher of righteousness." His views of a call to the ministry 
were so positive as not to allow him to go forward hurriedly. 
"Indeed, so jealous was I of my own heart, and so severe in 
my notions upon this subject, that I was resolved, if this call 



28 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



was not unanswerably given from God to my soul, I would for- 
ever remain silent." 

In keeping with this purpose, not to run before he was called, 
Mr.Cookman kept steadily on his way, following closely the in- 
dications of Providence and of the Spirit as he could discern 
them. In 182 1 he visited America on business for his father; 
and returning, was as deeply engrossed as any other young 
man of business, doing with diligence the duty which lay next 
to him. After a lapse of over two years I find him breathing 
the same devout and evangelical spirit, with a persuasion that 
God, amid severe trials and with great opportunities, was 
grounding him in the truth, and conforming his heart more and 
more to His own will. January 22, 1823, he writes : "I have 
been composing the skeleton of my first sermon from 1 COr. 
ii., 2. Sunday fortnight I am to preach at St. Paul.* When I 
consider my unworthiness, I am ready to sink into the dust. 
Lord, prepare me." A week before preaching he asks, " Have I 
a clear call to preach the Gospel ?" and upon examining himself 
by five tests, concludes "that a dispensation of grace is commit- 
ted to me, and woe be to me if I preach not the Gospel." In 
addition to the usual tests which occurred to him, was the im- 
pression received while in America, and while on shipboard, 
that he must preach the Gospel, " and that too in America." 
He had gone to America for secular ends, but God had already 
decreed his return to America on a higher errand, His first pul- 
pit efforts were well received. He preached quite regularly, 
and showed from the first the elements of power. The mission- 
ary ardor was kindling in his soul. His father proposed to es- 
tablish him in business ; but he wished to cut loose from all 
such entanglements, and enter himself forthwith at an Ameri- 
can college for a course of preparation for the ministry. He 
yielded, however, to the dissuasions of his father and friends, 
who thought him already in the best possible school of prepa- 



* Hull. 



GEORGE G. COOKMAN BEGINS TO PREACH. 



2 9 



ration and in the path of duty. Without abandoning his purpose 
to preach, he waited upon God, resolving to do his duty, and 
leave consequences with God. 

After a sermon preached at the Scott Street Chapel, he was 
greatly depressed. "I had entered the pulpit with a com- 
fortable assurance of the divine favor, when, strange to tell, all 
upon a sudden my mind was beclouded; and, although I was 
perfectly master of the subject, I was yet bound in spirit." 
" I expected no one could profit; but, to my amazement, almost 
all expressed themselves as being much edified." He could 
not fail of a valuable lesson from this experience. Within a 
short time he made his first platform address, and achieved, in 
this maiden effort, that marked success which, so often repeated 
in after years, constituted him a prince among platform speak- 
ers. "When I ascended the platform my soul seemed weighed 
down with a sense of my unfitness. ' Oh ! my God,' I could 
not help crying, 1 why am I here ? These poor heathen never 
trifled away privileges as I have done.' When my name was 
called from the chair, I was in this low state. I thought at first 
(owing to a violent hoarseness) that I should have to sit clown, 
but just at this instant divine light broke in upon my soul, my 
voice cleared, my heart filled with holy love and fire, and I was 
enabled to speak with a force unknown before. The place 
was filled with the heavenly influence, and the loud, silvery, and 
hearty amens were affecting and cheering. Nothing afflicted 
me so much as the compliments of my friends. It seemed dis- 
honoring God ; because I am convinced He gave the power and 
sent the influence. The Lord shall have all the glory." It is 
not difficult for those who subsequently heard Mr. Cookman in 
this peculiar realm, at the zenith of his popularity, to imagine 
the utter wonder and pleasure which this beginning of surprises 
must have occasioned to those who were present. 

The purpose of God with his young servant was now fast show- 
ing itself. The apple was well-nigh ripe, when it either would 



3° 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



fall of itself or could be easily plucked. Mr. Joshua Marsden 
strongly recommended him to offer himself to the American 
(Methodist) bishops, to take a circuit in the first instance ; aft- 
erwards, if Providence opened the way, he could enter upon the 
missionary work. But he had engaged in business with his fa- 
ther for the term of three years, after w r hich time he proposed 
to turn his attention more decidedly to the ministry, with the 
intention of going to America. His diary bears evidence at 
this period of the closest heart searchings; of the deepest and 
the most unaffected devotion to the service of Christ. The 
prayer is constantly on his lips, "What wilt Thou have me 
do?" There is no duty which he does not discharge, no self- 
sacrifice from which he shrinks : he is ready to do any work, to 
go, if need be, to the ends of the earth to preach the Gospel. 

While his mind was particularly exercised in regard to an im- 
mediate entrance upon the ministry, he was appointed to drive 
Mr.Clough (one of the circuit preachers of Hull) to Partington. 
Mr. Clough impressed upon him the duty of present action, if 
he would not grieve the Holy Spirit ; another young friend, and 
to his surprise the Rev. Mr. W. Entwistle, on whom he shortly 
after called, expressed the same view. Considerably agitated 
by such a concurrence of opinions, he laid the whole matter be- 
fore his father, fully anticipating his decided negative for the 
present, when, to his great surprise, his father frankly told him 
that he had long been of the opinion that he was called to the 
ministry ; and that, although his immediate departure might 
cause inconvenience, yet he would not throw one stumbling- 
block in his way, but rather further the ordinations of Providence 
by ever} 7 prudent arrangement. As might have been anticipated, 
his mother fully coincided with this judgment, and "was perfect- 
ly willing to give him up to the Lord." Thus every obstacle to 
his full devotion to the ministry, and to his going to America as 
the field of its exercise, was removed, and his decision was ac- 
cordingly made to emigrate at the earliest opportunity. 



GEORGE G. COOKMAN SAILS FOR AMERICA. 3 1 

Happy in the decision which freed him from suspense, and 
introduced him into the definite course of his life, he was all 
aflame with zeal for the work which lay before him. " My peace 
flows as a river, and my heart exults to reflect that in a few 
months I may be permitted to preach Christ crucified to the 
poor blacks of Maryland." He could find no figures so ade- 
quate to express his ardor as that of the racer restless for the 
course, or the soldier in the battle eager for the conflict. This 
ardor, while it may not have been wholly void of the adventur- 
ous element which springs from the prospect of strange and 
hazardous enterprise, was nourished by the closest contact with 
the great heart of the Redeemer, and in the one simple pur- 
pose to save perishing men. He breathed constantly for en- 
tire deadness to the world and the spirit of true holiness, evi- 
dently regarding his mission as one of utter self-renunciation 
in the pursuit of the divine glory. "Although privations and 
persecutions or shipwreck may await me, I feel strong in the 
Lord, determined to obey His will at all hazards." Such a young 
man was fit to follow a Coke, an Asbury, and even a Paul, over 
the sea in the sublime work of bringing continents to God. 
" I must be a man of one work — dead to the world, and alive 
to Christ." 

The 28th of March, 1825, was finally definitely fixed upon as 
the day of departure for America. The last days and hours 
were spent in preaching, visits, farewells, and preparations. The 
little brig Orient weighed anchor at the time appointed, and 
bore away westward with her devout and expectant passenger. 
The long voyage was not idle or irksome ; the whole of its time 
was diligently consumed in close study and multifarious read- 
ing; in meditating and maturing plans of usefulness. He thor- 
oughly digested such works as Bishop Watson's Apologies, 
Mason on Self-Knowledge, Jenyn's Views of the Internal Evi- 
dences of Christianity, Lord Lyttleton's Arguments for Chris- 
tianity, Baxter's Gildas Salvianus and Saint's Rest, and Butler's 



32 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Analogy. He preached to the seamen as occasion offered, dis- 
tributed tracts, and otherwise labored among them. What is 
most striking, however, was the constancy of his devotions, and 
the watchfulness he exercised over his own spirit. "I have 
been reflecting upon Baxter's warning of settling any where 
short of heaven, or reposing our souls to rest on any thing be- 
low God. Ah ! how little do I think of this. This deceit- 
ful heart would fain set up its rest — not, indeed, in riches, hon- 
ors, etc., but in creature love, a Gospel Church, gracious ordi- 
nances. This will not do. They are the means, not the rest 
itself. This is the ingenious device of Satan, by which we are 
seduced into a species of spiritual idolatry. Strive, O my soul, 
to consider thyself as a pilgrim in this wilderness, and rest in 
naught but God !" 

Just before landing, retarded by calms, he took advantage of 
the smooth sea and quiet waiting to re-examine the motives 
which led him to America. "This is no womanish employ; 
this ministerial work is no fine theory of fancy. It requires all 
the firmness, courage, perseverance, zeal, faith of the veteran 
soldier. Therefore, I must fix my principles, and draw them 
from the fountain of all wisdom. I bless God my soul can 
calmly rejoice in the prospect, and yield all up to the will and 
direction of God." "Now, then, in the strength of the Lord, I 
will go forth to the Lord's work in this my adopted country." 
Would that more young men entering upon the divine apostle- 
ship could have an "Arabia" of three or more months, or even 
years, on shipboard or elsewhere such as he had ! 

On Sunday, May 16, 1825, the Orient sailed up the Delaware 
Bay and River. Mr. Cookman was sorry to fall short of reach- 
ing Philadelphia in time for the services of the sanctuary; but 
he had so drilled himself to make the best of circumstances, 
that he found compensation in secret communion with God and 
in thoughts of friends afar. He wrote to a friend : "This voy- 
age has been profitable, both in an intellectual and spiritual 



-HIS ARRIVAL AT PHILADELPHIA. 33 

point of view. I have been grounding myself in the grand 
principles of the Gospel. # * * I have preached several times 
to this most wicked crew, and I have been blessed to the 
captain's good, who is resolved to turn over a new leaf. Pa- 
tience has had its perfect work. * * * I have found it good 
to lay my will at the Redeemer's feet. * # * I have had pain- 
ful views of the depravity of this corrupt heart, and this has 
stimulated me particularly to plead for the whole image and 
purity of Christ, -so that the fire of divine love might devour 
all the grossness of sense and sin. * * * Here then we are 
on the Delaware. I regret that I can not assemble the crew 
and passengers for public worship, as the pilot keeps all the 
former in working the vessel up the river. I felt melancholy 
this morning in looking on shore and beholding nature in all 
its bloom, the sun careering in the firmament, and then think- 
ing, 'Ah! the people of God are now repairing to His holy tem- 
ple to worship at His feet.' Nevertheless, I retired to my little 
cabin, and the Lord visited the temple of my heart, and spoke 
graciously and comfortably to His poor servant. I have re- 
newed my missionary covenant. I am the Lord's : the same 
great principles which called me forth remain with augmented 
force ; I go wherever He commands." 

B 2 



CHAPTER II. 

THE REV. GEORGE G. COO KM AN IN AMERICA. — THE BIRTH OF 
ALFRED. 

Mr. Cookman was cordially received by the Methodists of 
Philadelphia, among whom he lived and labored as a local 
preacher, in connection with St. George's Church, until the fol- 
lowing spring. He was incessant in labors, not only in preach- 
ing as opportunity offered, but visiting the sick, the prisons, and 
hospitals. He also organized a class of young persons, which 
included among its members John McClintock, Charles Whit- 
acre, and William and Leonard Gilder, all of whom subsequent- 
ly became ministers of the Gospel. During a protracted sick- 
ness of Mr. William Barnes, the preacher in charge, he supplied 
the pulpit of St. George's. 

At the session of the Philadelphia Conference of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church in 1826, he was appointed to Kensing- 
ton and St. John's churches, Philadelphia. Falling thus softly 
into the regular ministry did not suit either the design or the 
wishes of the young hero, whose soul was burning for its mis- 
sion to the Africans. He had left England to convert the ne- 
groes, and it was not to his mind to become a pastor amid the 
ease and refinements of civilized life. He was patient, however, 
and sought constantly, in the utmost self-denial, the guidance 
of God's Spirit and of His Church. On his twenty-sixth birth- 
day he expressed himself thus : " It was the voice of the Spirit 
which first called my attention to Africa. I have from a child 
commiserated the injured negro ; and for years prior to this 
my missionary feelings sympathized with them in common with 
the heathen world. Under the workings of the Spirit on this 



MISSION TO AFRICA. 



35 



subject, I came to the conclusion to offer myself as a mission- 
ary to the African colony at Mesurado. The conviction I 
strove against for some time, until the conflict became over- 
whelmingly painful and distressing. In this situation I called 
upon Mr. Bacon, one of the first agents to the colony, who in- 
formed me that there was a loud call for a Methodist mission- 
ary, and that the field was white unto the harvest. After sol- 
emn prayer to God, I believed, according to the light given, it 
was my duty to go to Bishop George, and lay the matter before 
him, state my convictions, views, and feelings. When this res- 
olution was once formed, I felt instant inward peace. I went 
to New York and had an interview with Bishop George, when 
he stated that he had often wished we had an African mission- 
ary, and approved of the design ; at the same time, he advised 
me to take no definitive step until the close of the year. * * # 
Upon a fair statement of the case, it appears my way is not 
clearly opened to the African field. And as the practical de- 
cision is connected with such deep responsibility, it would not 
be advisable to move until the way be very clear. Bishop 
George thinks it appears probable that in the ensuing Confer- 
ence year a very extensive field of missionary labor may be 
opened among the blacks on this side of the water, more so 
than could possibly be obtained in Africa. The agent is clear- 
ly of the opinion that a white missionary can benefit the gen- 
eral cause most efficiently by his labors here — at least for the 
present. I feel my mind much at rest ; I have done all that 
appeared to be my duty; I have endeavored to follow the lead- 
ings of Providence, for I have good cause to watch over and 
be jealous of my own spirit. If no other result flow from this 
than bringing my views before the mind of the bishop, perhaps 
a point of no inconsiderable importance is gained to the great 
cause. The heart of the benevolent old man seems warmed 
with love divine to the poor Africans." Immediately in this 
connection, he adds, " I had a good day, particularly in bear- 



36 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ing a decided testimony for the glorious doctrine of Christian 
perfection. Oh ! my God, hasten the period when sin shall ex- 
pire and grace shall reign. In visiting the sick, I have found 
assistance and power, but yet the habit of my mind is not suf- 
ficiently spiritual. Let me plead and strive for a pure inten- 
tion, a sanctified affection, and a holy walk. O Lord, help me 
to remember that for myself, as a follower of Christ, as well 
as a messenger of God, I must answer." 

The persistence with which Mr. Cookman adhered to the 
original purpose he had in coming to America is truly admira- 
ble, as not only showing the depth of the conviction, but also 
the integrity of his heart and the force of his will. His preach- 
ing and speaking in Philadelphia had produced a strong im- 
pression, and his fame as an orator began already to be ac- 
knowledged. His ministrations were universally acceptable, 
and very much sought. There was a demand in the churches 
for eloquent preachers; and the brilliant career of Summer- 
field had prepared the people to appreciate thoroughly a young 
Englishman who promised in any degree to take the place of 
that seraphic man. It must have required in Cookman just 
such close heart searchings and earnest prayers as his memo- 
randa reveal to keep him firm to Africa. It is not without sig- 
nificance that he yearned for deadness to the world and for 
increased spirituality. The record in regard to Christian per- 
fection in this relation is truly valuable, as showing its vital re- 
lation to missionary work, and equally so as exhibiting in the 
father thus early in his ministry the fast hold he had taken of 
that doctrine of Methodism which was subsequently to become 
the distinguishing feature of the life and ministry of his son. 

While actively devoting himself to regular ministerial duty, 
Mr. Cookman's efforts in the direction of Africa were not relin- 
quished. " Some time ago I made an offer of myself to the 
Colonization Society to go out to Liberia as a Methodist mis- 
sionary at my own expense. I am sorry to find that an extract 



DEFEATED IN GOING TO AFRICA. 37 

from my letter has been published in several of the papers, in- 
asmuch as I could have wished to go about the matter without 
noise and pomp of observation. * # * I feel resigned to do or 
to suffer what the Lord may appoint — if He say go, I am 
ready ; if He say remain, I will remain and be submissive. I 
feel the kindlings of God's love, and am looking for a deeper 
and a holier baptism." 

His cherished desire, however, was doomed to disappoint- 
ment. God had other work for him to do. As the sequel 
proved, instead of going as a missionary to convert the heathen 
— possibly to leave his bones after a few months on the sands 
of Africa — he was, by his advanced ideas and persuasive elo- 
quence, to plant the seeds of missionary labors which were des- 
tined to spring up in ever-widening harvests to the end of time. 
Methodist missions were just then starting, and they needed 
in their first feeble beginnings such a heroic, fiery advocate as 
this brilliant and devout young man. He was not to be a 
missionary, as he earnestly and sincerely intended, pure and 
simple ; but he was to be a creator of missionaries, who, in un- 
broken succession, should go from the American continent to 
all parts of the world. He was here, too, to found a family 
which was subsequently to be identified in all movements adapt- 
ed to advance the salvation of the race ; and, in the apostolic 
zeal of noble sons, was to project his influence into the far- 
reaching future of his adopted country. The Almighty con- 
cealed from His servant at the time His full design, as he had 
done from many of His chosen ones before; but go to Africa he 
could not. His way was blocked. As was natural, the defeat 
of a purpose so long fixed upon, and which had wrought in 
him as an all-absorbing and assimilating force, could not but 
cause a painful disappointment. He did not hesitate to own it. 

On November 6th he wrote: "Abraham went forth at the 
command of Jehovah, ' not knowing whither he went,' and Lu- 
ther, Wesley, Coke, Asbury, were first thrust out, and led along 



3* 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



by a path which they could not have imagined. Had it, for in- 
stance, been told Wesley when he was in Oxford at my age, that 
he should be the head of a large body of Christians ; that he 
should approve and employ lay preachers, and stand up in the 
market-places and preach the Gospel without book, he would 
have thought the teller mad. And it has appeared to me, after 
impartial investigation of Church history, that the real, extensive 
revivals of vital godliness in every age have not been by pre- 
concerted design on the part -of the instruments, but by a se- 
ries of causes unsuspected and uncontrolled by human agency, 
but directed by Him who has ascended on high and received 
gifts for men. It is a series of reflections like these which rec- 
oncile me to my present situation and circumstances. I had 
certainly resolved to go to Africa, so far as any volition of the 
human will can decide upon any question ; and I confess with 
shame that when, from the statement of the agent of the Col- 
onization Society and the advice of Bishop George, my way 
seemed blocked up, my heart rose in rebellion, as though the 
great purpose of my soul was frustrated. But the great ques- 
tion now is, Was the purpose of the Lord frustrated ? Is it not 
rather in progress of fulfillment ? For if one part of our pur- 
pose be the preparation of instruments, then such a disappoint- 
ment to my proud self-will may be the best preparation in con- 
vincing me of my imperfect judgment and frailty of purpose." 

With such reflections as these, Mr. Cookman reconciled him- 
self to what was now evidently the final subversion of his early 
plan, and his permanent settlement in America as an itiner- 
ant Methodist preacher. With a jealous watchfulness over his 
heart, he did not fail to see in the thwarting of his scheme the 
deep need he had of thorough proving in his religious expe- 
rience, and of much correction in his natural tendencies. He 
knew himself too well not to know that.impulsiveness was a de- 
fect in his character. "The thought and the action are with 
me nearly synonymous, and when a thing is designed, my bones 



MR. COOKMAN *S MARRIAGE. 



39 



ache within me and my flesh cries out till it is done. I am 
aware this is a defect, leading me to speak too fast and to act 
too fast. It was this very thing which plunged Dr. Coke into 
so many perplexities, and gave Wesley such an advantage over 
him as a character. I always need a sober counselor at my 
elbow to talk the matter twice over." 

Thus did he carefully guard himself, seeing in his worst dis- 
appointments the providential means of perfecting his graces, 
and using the things which he suffered as the things he most 

do o 

needed. Whether justly or not, it is common for God's most 
conscientious servants to think they discern weakness where 
often lies their greatest strength. It was the ardent tempera- 
ment inherited from the mother which was the real spring of 
Mr. Cookman's mental power; nor would it have done too far 
to restrain it. Ordinarily, the great instruments of Providence 
have rough and sharp points, and are not toned down to ex- 
ceeding smoothness. 

In February, 1827, Mr. Cookman returned to England on a 
brief visit. He was married to Miss Mary Barton, Doncaster, 
Yorkshire, on the 2d of April, 1827, and immediately left with 
his bride for America. Miss Barton w T as a young lady of excel- 
lent family, of superior personal endowments, and of exemplary 
piety. In marrying Mr. Cookman, she not only wedded him as 
her husband, but also as God's minister, and devoted herself, 
with the utmost simplicity and in entire sympathy with him, to 
the work which absorbed his soul and was to employ his life. 
The comforts and luxuries of an affluent English home were 
abandoned with the pure intent of becoming a true helpmeet to 
the man of her heart, the accredited ambassador of Christ in 
bringing the world a conquest to redeeming love. Mrs. Cook- 
man still lives at an advanced age, a witness to the power of 
the same self-sacrificing zeal with which she originally left her 
father's house. 

In the spring of 1827 Mr. Cookman was appointed to the 



4 o 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Lancaster Circuit. This charge embraced Lancaster, Columbia, 
and Reading, three of the most important towns in Pennsylva- 
nia. It was a large and laborious charge, being what was called 
a six weeks' circuit, in the arrangement of which he preached at 
each church in the circuit but once in six weeks. His resi- 
dence was at Columbia, situated on the Susquehanna River. 

Here Alfred was born, January 4, 1828. He was physically 
a healthful and remarkably well-proportioned child. The moth- 
er, as she clasped her first-born to her heart, felt mingling with 
her maternal and wifely joy a sense of disappointment in the 
probable curtailment of her active participation in the pastoral 
work of her husband, and further postponing, if not entirely de- 
feating, the missionary purpose which still possessed both hus- 
band and wife. She had come to America with great designs 
in her soul ; and now that the mission of a mother opened dis- 
tinctly before her, the enthusiasm of her spirit was not a little 
sobered. Tending a babe in the narrow confines of the nursery, 
did not quite comport with that brilliant apostolic career which 
she had marked out for herself as the companion of a Christian 
missionary. But God gave her a happy thought. " Alfred was 
to be her Solomon to build the temple which she in becoming 
a mother could not rear." She was reconciled to her calling, 
and henceforth gave herself to the training of this son as the 
main work of her life. With the persuasion that he was given 
to her of God, she consecrated him from birth to the sacred 
ministry, to be a builder of God's Temple. All her thoughts, 
feelings, and plans for the child grouped about this central idea, 
and the idea in turn. stamped its character and complexion on 
all she did. 

There were two classes of women whom the Romans loved 
to honor — the few virgins who devoted themselves in perpetual 
virginity to keeping alive the vestal fires, and the mothers of 
heroes. Mrs. Cookman accepted the traditional Anglo-Saxon 
doctrine that there is, strictly speaking, no higher mission for 



MR. COOKMAN'S POPULARITY. 



, ALFRED. 



41 



woman than the function of a matron. She had talents and 
graces which would have made her useful and famous in any 
sphere; but she saw with womanly instinct and true maternal 
feeling that her greatest usefulness and utmost fame — as far as 
she could consider fame — would be found in losing herself in 
her son, in spending her time and energies upon him, in fash- 
ioning the man who was to stand a man among men. Surely 
to train men — to offer to sons the care, instruction, and sympa- 
thy which they need, and to maintain over them a controlling 
influence through the successive periods of their development — 
is the worthiest ambition which can fill a woman's heart. Such 
w 7 as Mrs. Cookman's ambition. The sequel confirms the wis- 
dom of her choice. She was a true companion of her husband, 
and as far as practicable aided him not only by her affectionate 
sympathies and judicious counsels in his ministry, but also did 
all she could privately and publicly, as a godly lady, to pro- 
mote the work of religion ; but pre-eminently her realm w r as her 
house, and her work rather to form preachers than to preach. 
Mr. Cookman's duties on his circuit kept him much from home, 
and threw the young wife and mother upon her own resources. 
This could not be otherwise than a trial to her refined nature, 
but she found comfort in the companionship of her child, and in 
the constantly augmenting success and fame of her husband. 
He was universally popular. At Reading, where there was 
then no Methodist church, he preached in the court-house to 
crowds, in which were to be regularly seen the foremost lawyers 
and men of business in the town. 

I give here an extract from a letter received about this time 
from the father of Mr. Cookman, in w r hich touching reference is 
made to the two Alfreds: 

"Hull, February 11, 1828. 
"Dear George and Mary, — Our last letters sent by vessel from this 
port would bring the mournful intelligence of the loss of our dearest Alfred, 
with many particulars respecting his last moments and his tranquil exit. 
These events, when brought back to our recollection, form new associations 



42 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



and open afresh the wounds in our bleeding hearts. We trust, however, you 
will be supported by the good hand of God under this irreparable loss, by 
the full assurance that now he is released from all his suffering, and his 
happy spirit is admitted into the presence of his Redeemer, and is associated 
with the spirits of just men made perfect. This assurance should moderate 
our sorrows ; and, though we can not but feel as his near relatives, our 
Christian principles should check an excess of suffering, because we are as- 
sured it was the good pleasure of God to take him from us, and he is much 
happier, better provided for, and taken greater care of now by his Heavenly 
Father than he possibly could have been by us. * * * 

" On the receipt of your last, bearing date the 7th* of January, our feelings 
were deeply interested in receiving the pleasing intelligence of the birth of 
your son, and we were delighted to find the name of Alfred should not become 
extinct in our family. May he exhibit a large share of his uncle's intellectual 
and moral character, and may his mental powers in due time become as 
vigorous and his person as likely to be robust. * * * May you receive him 
as the gift of God, and while you gratefully acknowledge His supporting and 
sustaining hand, may you and the child be entirely consecrated to Him. " 

Was ever prayer more prediction ? The desire of the grand- 
father for his second Alfred was entirely fulfilled, and in noth- 
ing more than his entire consecration to God. Who can com- 
pute the value to children of the faith of such parents and 
grandparents — a faith which connects them in their very in- 
fancy with the covenant that engages God to bestow special 
blessings upon the children of His people ? 

In the spring of 1828, Mr. Cookman was stationed at New 
Brunswick, N. J., which was then comprised, with all the State 
of New Jersey, in the Philadelphia Conference. While station- 
ed here he made one of his earliest platform addresses, which 
immediately established his reputation with the community out- 
side of his own denomination as a first-class orator. A corre- 
spondent of the New York Observer, who was present on the oc- 
casion, wrote of that speech subsequent to Mr. Cookman's 
death: "None who were present will forget the powerful im- 
pression made by him at a meeting of the Young Men's Bible 
Society, in New Brunswick, N. J., in the year 1828, when a 



BIBLE SPEECH AT NEW BRUNSWICK. 



43 



Methodist preacher of small stature, almost unknown in the 
community, having been invited for denomination's sake to 
speak on the occasion, arose and electrified the audience with 
an address that suddenly bore away the palm from all competi- 
tors. It reminded one of the brilliant debut of Summerfield at 
the anniversary of the American Bible Society in New York. 
None could appreciate the force of that speech who was unac- 
quainted with the charm of the speaker's manner. Besides the 
simplicity, vivacity, and variety of the address, there was an ap- 
propriateness ; both in point of time and place, that secured the 
undissembled admiration of his enlightened audience. 

" His subject was Christian union combined with denomina- 
tional action. His mind, rich in bold and natural metaphors, 
drew a sketch more impressive than the most profound and 
elaborate argumentation could be, especially when addressed to 
a popular assembly of various creeds. He undertook to mar- 
shal the spiritual army. He considered the Methodists as the 
mounted volunteers, hovering on the frontiers ; the Presbyteri- 
ans, 'who love an open field,' as the infantry, occupying the 
centre in solid columns, and presenting to the enemy a series of 
impregnable squares ; he stationed the Baptists along the rivers 
and lakes, to win laurels in their peculiar warfare ; and Episco- 
palians were to man the garrisons, inspect the magazines, and 
direct the batteries. ' But who shall be our artillery men ? I 
propose, sir,' said Mr. Cookman, 'that we commit this very im- 
portant department to our brethren of the Dutch Reformed 
Church; and, sir, may they acquit themselves with a valor 
worthy of their ancestors when the proud flag of De Witt swept 
the sea and the thunder of Van Tromp shook the ocean !' He 
then warned them of a spy in the camp, 'old and gray in iniq- 
uity, toothless, crooked, and unsavory ;' and proceeded to draw a 
most graphic picture of Bigotry. He hoped that if the Method- 
ist cavalry caught sight of him they would ride him down ; that 
the Presbyterians would bayonet him ; the Baptists drown him ; 



44 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



the Episcopalians, if he approached their garrison, open a 
double-flanked battery- upon him, and the Dutch Reformed 
greet him with a round of artillery. ' Let him,' said he, ? die 
the death of a spy, without military honors, and, after he has 
been gibbeted for a season, let his body be given to the 
Quakers, and let them bury him deep and in silence. May 
God grant his miserable ghost may never revisit this world of 
trouble !' " 

It is easy to imagine, as this brief sketch is read, the well- 
nigh overwhelming effect which this speech from a comparative 
stranger and a rather unpromising young man must have had 
upon the audience. Such a picture was a creation worthy the 
genius of a Bunyan. The ability to sustain a series of compari- 
sons at such length, reaching the requirements of allegory, with 
so much of genuine truthfulness and humor, showed in the 
young preacher a high artistic power. 

In 1829 Mr. Cookman was appointed to Talbot Circuit, Tal- 
bot County, Maryland. He had dreamed over in England of 
one day preaching the Gospel to the blacks of Maryland, and 
now his opportunity had come. By long brooding over the suf- 
ferings of the poor negroes, he had transferred their chains 
to himself, and he longed to be among them and to do what 
he could to ameliorate their condition. His circuit extended 
through the whole county, and included both the white and 
colored population adhering to the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
He was cordially received by the warm-hearted Southerners, 
among whom he found many English traits which did not fail 
to make him feel at home, and did much to relieve the pain 
which the presence of slavery caused him. Mr, Cookman never 
found closer friends than among the devout people of this 
section. Methodism had taken early and strong hold upon the 
community, and embraced, with slight exceptions, the staple in- 
telligence and enterprise of the whole region ; the people lived 
in simple affluence, and were ever ready to lavish upon their 



TESTIMONY OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 



45 



preacher all the choicest gifts of air, land, and water. They re- 
ceived Mr. Cookman, his wife and children — for by this time 
Alfred had a brother — with the warmest hospitality. One gen- 
tleman, Mr. Samuel Harrison, who owned a large plantation 
stretching in a narrow neck out into the Chesapeake Bay, took 
them to his own house. The minister's coming to each suc- 
cessive appointment every four weeks was an ovation — the 
whole country, whites and blacks alike, turned out to hear him. 
And it was not because the people had not been used hitherto 
to good preaching — they had had it from the beginning of their 
religious history • they therefore knew how to appreciate it in 
Mr. Cookman. 

The celebrated colored orator, Frederick Douglass, in his 
book entitled " My Bondage and my Freedom," p. 198, tells us 
that the Rev. George Cookman took an interest in the tempo- 
ral and spiritual welfare of the slaves. He writes : " Our souls 
and our bodies were alike sacred in his sight ; and he really 
had a good deal of genuine anti-slavery feeling mingled with 
his colonization ideas. There was not a slave in our neighbor- 
hood that did not love and venerate Mr. Cookman. It was 
pretty generally believed that he had been chiefly instrumental 
in bringing one of the largest slaveholders — Mr. Samuel Har- 
rison — to emancipate all his slaves ; and, indeed, the general 
impression was that Mr. Cookman had labored faithfully with 
slaveholders, whenever he met them, to induce them to emanci- 
pate their bondmen, and that he did this as a religious duty. 
When this good man was at our house, we were all sure to be 
called in to prayers in the morning; and he was not slow in 
making inquiries as to the state of our minds, nor in giving us 
a word of exhortation and encouragement. Great was the sor- 
row of all the slaves when this faithful preacher of the Gospel 
was removed from the circuit." 

Mr. Cookman's custom was to hold special services apart for 
the colored people, to which they flocked in great numbers. 



46 LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 

He was regarded with increasing favor both by masters and 
servants. 

But what, meanwhile, is our little Alfred doing ? Playing oft- 
en, no doubt — as many others before and since who became 
good and great have done — with the little negroes near the 
"quarters," or in front of the "big house," or on the^ sandy 
beach, or chasing butterflies over the fields, or possibly at "hold- 
ing meeting." His mother says of him at this very early age : 
" The tone of his mind had always a religious tendency, and 
before he was four years of age he imitated all the services of 
the Church. He would sometimes collect a crowd of colored 
children around him, and in his childish way preach to them 
about the necessity of being good, and then they would go to 
heaven and live with Jesus ; but if they were bad boys and 
girls they would go to hell, and be burnt in a great hot fire. 
His father traveled a circuit on the eastern shore of Maryland 
about this time, which brought Alfred in contact with number- 
less opportunities to show the bias of his mind. He would ask 
for a bowl of water, and request the servants of the family to 
come and be baptized. Many of them would come and kneel 
down as devoutly as though they felt the reality of the ordi- 
nance ; and he, taking the water in his hand, would say, ' Bob 
Trot, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost. God bless you, and make you a good 
man.' Then Bob and others who went through the same proc- 
ess would rise up from their knees and go forth as though 
they had performed a religious duty. So Alfred would go 
through with all the services of the sanctuary in his boyish way 
with as much gravity and decorum as though he were already 
ordained, or set aside for this special work — directing men and 
women to be good and do good." 

It is not uncommon for boys, who never become preachers 
or much of any thing — for children are busy little artists, paint- 
ing with the brush of sympathy on the canvas of their souls 



EARLY TRAITS AND NURTURE. 



47 



the real life which passes before them — to do just what Alfred 
did; and yet there is that in the ways of every child which 
shows the natural bent, and to some degree forecasts the after 
life. Goethe's painful sensitiveness to the presence of ugliness 
or deformity while quite a baby was indicative of that fine, del- 
icate organization which is the constitutional basis of the poet. 
His mother had the eye to see it, and with skillful hand she 
guided the divine instinct by bringing to its nurture agreeable 
objects, and gently inciting it with narratives of the wondrous 
and beautiful ; otherwise Germany had not had her greatest 
poet, nor the world one of its greatest educators. To every 
mother her child has an individuality, and she can discern in it 
the hidden germ which in the flower is to render its maturity 
distinct and beautiful. The difference in mothers is the power 
properly to direct this original faculty. Fewer children would 
perish in the promise if there were more mothers who knew 
how to cherish and train the natural and gracious endowment. 
Mrs. Cookman had one desire for her boy, and she sedulously 
watched every hint in his childhood which pointed in the di- 
rection of its fulfillment. She hailed every such indication as 
a precursor of his future, since it had been impressed on her 
mind from his birth that he was to do the work that was in 
her heart to do for the Lord. But she was a wise mother, 
looking for results, however good and desirable, to follow only 
upon the use of the proper means. She did not expect devout 
wishes and devout prayers to mould the character of Alfred 
without corresponding effort to rear him aright. Great and 
good men do not grow, like the rank weeds, untended, but, like 
the lovely and fragrant flowers, by culture. Here's a memo- 
randum from the mother on this point : " Alfred was very cor- 
rect in all his deportment, obedient to his parents, very truth- 
ful, and conscientious. He was, of course, watched over with 
more than ordinary care. Parental vigilance was ever on the 
alert to detect and correct any thing that might mar the little 



43 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



tender plant." Yet there was not excess of training, nor mor- 
bid stimulating. "His father early impressed him with the idea, 
4 Play when you play, and work when you work.' " 

It was hardly to be expected that the social scenes by which 
this child was surrounded at that period could permanently af- 
fect his disposition ; yet he ever after loved this country and 
its people, and to this day there is no name fuller of sweet 
odor in the whole region than that of Alfred Cookman. It is 
well known, too, that he cherished throughout life a great love 
for the black race. He had romped, wept, and laughed — nay, 
even prayed, with the colored boys ; and a common feeling, so 
self-asserting in children, had taught him in the simple and in- 
nocent sports of childhood the great truth of the oneness of 
humanity. In the very lap of the warm, unselfish nursing of 
which the negro woman is capable, associated with the strange 
and weird stories, and the low, soft melodies, the earnest and 
implicit trustfulness with which she mingles all her work, he re- 
ceived impressions at this susceptible age which ever endeared 
the colored people tc him. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE GROWING FAME OF REV. GEORGE G. COOKMAN. THE 

CHILDHOOD OF ALFRED. 

How far Mr. Cookman felt himself successful in his mission 
to the colored people does not appear. He found obstacles in 
promoting their liberation. He was useful to them, as he was 
also to the white population ; but his talents were soon in de- 
mand in the great city, and he was accordingly at his next ap- 
pointment assigned to St. George's, Philadelphia. It showed 
the confidence of the bishop, and of the people of St. George's, 
that he was sent so soon to the charge where on his first ar- 
rival he had joined and labored as a local preacher. On the 
removal of the family to the city, Alfred, with his brother 
George, was placed at school under the care of Miss Ann 
Thomas, a member of the Society of Friends, who was quite 
celebrated for her skill in teaching. He remained two years 
under her care, and made rapid progress in the elementary 
branches of education. She took very special interest both 
in him and his little brother, and expressed great sorrow when 
they left her. In a note to the mother she wrote : " I give 
my testimony respecting thy dear boys that I have enjoyed 
great consolation in their company. While endeavoring to in- 
form their little minds, and give them a knowledge of litera- 
ture, they have been obedient and attentive, very innocent, and 
strict to truth, and in almost every thing what my heart could 
wish. Tell them to remember Miss Ann, who dearly loves 
them, and wishes them everlasting happiness." 

I presume Alfred, at the age of five to seven, did not get 
very deep into what his loving teacher calls "literature." His 

C 



50 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



instruction in the rudiments of knowledge was probably thor- 
ough, and imparted with the exactness and kindliness for which 
the Friends are remarkable. This godly lady's spirit undoubt- 
edly affected him as much as the lessons she taught, and may 
in some measure account for the great favor in which he al- 
ways held her people — a favor which was as warmly recipro- 
cated by them. 

Subsequently to the two years at St. George's, Philadelphia, 
Mr. Cookman spent one year at Newark, N. J. His reputation 
had reached Baltimore, Md., then and now a stronghold of 
Methodism in America. The intercourse of the citizens of the 
eastern shore of Maryland with their commercial metropolis 
could not fail to bring to the attention of the leading Method- 
ists of the city the brilliant talents of the preacher. Mr. Cook- 
man had himself visited Baltimore, and preached in its church- 
es. There arose an urgent demand for his services, and he 
was accordingly transferred to the Baltimore Conference in the 
spring of 1834, and appointed to the city station, which then 
included all the Methodist Episcopal churches of the city ex- 
cept those on Fell's Point. Mr. Cookman was associated with 
Reverends William Hamilton, James Sewell, Thomas Thorn- 
ton, and James H. Brown, and preached in rotation with them 
on the circuit plan. His ministrations excited the utmost en- 
thusiasm, and crowds filled the churches to hear him. His elo- 
quent preaching and platform addresses, faithful pastoral la- 
bors, devotion to Sunday-schools, and magical social powers — 
baptized as all his faculties and exercises were by the Holy 
Ghost — gave him a position which has seldom been equaled 
and never excelled by any pastor in that city. His influence 
helped to sustain the position Methodism had already acquired ; 
and greatly assisted to push it forward to the pre-eminence 
which it has ever since held. The Methodists of that day who 
still survive scattered among the several churches never weary 
of talking of his power, and remember and narrate with dis- 



EARLY IMPRESSIONS 



51 



tinctness, special passages in his sermons and speeches which 
thrilled the congregations. 

On one Sabbath evening, Mr. Cookman was preaching to a 
dense audience at Light Street, and, as sometimes happened 
with him, and happens to all men, however able, if they are ex- 
temporaneous speakers, he had no freedom in his sermon, and 
evidently did not succeed as he wished ; but, with a fertility of 
resource which seldom failed him, he began an exhortation as 
he proceeded to 'the consciences of his hearers, which was so 
effective for direct and fiery appeal as to subdue all hearts. A 
prominent citizen, who had been attracted by his fame, but was 
about to leave the house disappointed at his sermon, was so 
wrought upon by the exhortation as to be awakened and con- 
verted. 

Among the vast multitudes who hung upon the eloquent lips 
of Mr. Cookman at this time was a little boy of seven years of 
age, not unknown to him. Alfred was no indifferent hearer to 
such life-like expositions and delineations as the father gave 
from Sunday to Sunday. The intelligence of the lad had suf- 
ficiently dawned to appreciate a method of teaching which was 
so well suited to awaken and chain the attention of the young. 
His conscience was growing with his other faculties, and now 
began to assert itself. The seeds of truth cast into the soil 
of his heart were beginning to swell, though the full time for 
them to burst into a definitive new life had not yet come. Re- 
ferring to his early experience, he has himself recorded : " I 
shall never cease to be grateful for the instruction and example 
of a faithful father and an affectionate mother. At this mo- 
ment I can not call up a period in my life, even in my earliest 
childhood, when I had not the fear of God before my eyes. 
When about seven years of age, I persuaded my parents to let 
me attend a Watch-Night service. It was held in Old Exeter 
Street Church, in the city of Baltimore. My father preached 
on the second coming of Christ. Thinking that perhaps the 



52 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



end of the world was just at hand, I realized for the first time 
my unpreparedness for the trying scenes of the judgment, and 
trembled in the prospect. I date my awakenings from that time." 

With many of the families of his charge in Baltimore Mr. 
Cookman formed close intimacies, and with none more so than 
the family of the late Mr. Joshua Creamer. I extract the fol- 
lowing incident, written by him in these happy days in the al- 
bum of Mrs. Jane Creamer Taylor, then an unmarried daughter 
at home. It is beautiful in itself, and indicative of the devout 
and humble spirit which animated his ministry : 

"It was on a fine Sabbath evening in the month of June, 1821, that three 
youthful pilgrims visited the tomb of Wesley's father in Epworth church- 
yard. They gathered from the overhanging beech-tree a little bark as a 
memento of the past ; and, while standing on that very tombstone from which 
John Wesley had preached to listening thousands eighty years before, they 
solemnly invoked a blessing from the God of the Church, and determined to 
follow Wesley as he followed Christ. One of these youths is now a mission- 
ary in Upper Canada, the second is a useful preacher of the Gospel in En- 
gland, and the third the writer of this short article. 

" ' Unto me who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given, 
that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.' 

" George G. Cookman. 

"Baltimore, 9th of February, 1835." 

Another leaf from this album will appear in its place, illustra- 
tive of the reverence and affection which was even then spring- 
ing up in the son's heart for the father. 

The time had now come when Alfred's academic training; 
was fairly to begin. Since leaving the charge of the gentle 
Friend in Philadelphia, he had been mainly dependent upon 
home instruction ; but now, in the providence of God, he was 
to be placed in the most favorable circumstances for a boy's 
education. Mr. Cookman, for reasons which were sufficient to 
the authorities of the Church, was removed in 1836 from Bal- 
timore City to the town of Carlisle, Pa. At first glance, such 
an exercise of episcopal supervision might appear unaccounta- 



REMOVAL TO CARLISLE. 



53 



ble — certainly without justification. To remove a man so well 
adapted to mould great masses from the centre of population 
and power, when his usefulness was constantly augmenting, to 
a quiet, rural town, where he could at most have only a limited 
community to influence, might seem at once strange and un- 
reasonable. But the highest wisdom teaches that influence is 
not always to be measured by the number of minds which it 
reaches, but by the quality of the minds, and the degree with 
which it affects them. As in matter, so in mind, a given force 
may effect greater results by being exerted on a small spot than 
by being spread over a wide surface. It is one of the econo- 
mies of Nature to gather up and concentrate her energies for 
the production of her most remarkable works. 

There was reason enough for Mr. Cookman's removal to Car- 
lisle. The Methodists of the Baltimore and Philadelphia Confer- 
ences had recently purchased from the Presbyterians Dickinson 
College, located at that borough, and had made it their educa- 
tional centre. Once more, from the despair which was engen- 
dered by the ashes of Cokesbury and Light Lane, they had ris- 
en in hope, with a determined effort to found for their region 
an institution for the liberal training of young men. They had 
looked abroad through the Church, and had concentrated upon 
their new enterprise the best talents which Methodism could 
then afford, and from the West, East, and their own borders, 
had brought together Durbin, Caldwell, Emory, Allen, McClin- 
tock, and Roszell, all young men, instinct with literary enthu- 
siasm, with denominational and professional pride. The selec- 
tion of Carlisle as a location for the school may have been a 
mistake, but the choice of the Faculty was one of those rare suc- 
cesses which can only be explained by a guiding spirit in the 
Church. The Rev. J. P. Durbin had recently come from the 
West, with a high reputation for pulpit ability and administra- 
tive skill, and was put at the head of its management; Pro- 
fessor Merrit Caldwell, fresh from the walls of Bowdoin, brought 



54 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



with him accurate scholarship and valued experience as a 
teacher; Professor W. H. Allen, also from Bowdoin, united rare 
physical and intellectual strength, which was disciplined and 
enriched alike by manual and mental toil ; the youthful Pro- 
fessor Robert Emory had carried off the prizes at Columbia, 
New York City, and was probably one of the purest and most 
thoroughly furnished young men of the land ; Professor John 
McClintock graduated from the Pennsylvania University in his 
teens, and was already regarded by all who knew him as a 
prodigy for the grasp and versatility of his talents and the full- 
ness of his attainments ; Mr. S. A. Roszell, from the halls of the 
first Methodist College of the West, at Augusta, Ky., was of a 
parent stock justly famed for its vigor, and possessed in his 
own right a reputation for depth and finish of culture. 

There was never a happier combination in the grouping of 
men, who were destined very speedily to crystallize into a har- 
monious unity. They blended at once — thinking, feeling, work- 
ing freely, with the most implicit interchange of principle, plan, 
and aim; and their joint labors began to tell in the college 
and at the remotest points of its patronizing territory. Meth- 
odist youths from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and 
Virginia, began to gather within its halls. These youths need- 
ed not only literary instruction, but also the ablest moral and 
spiritual care of which the Church was capable. The Confer- 
ences and the Faculty pledged themselves to the parents that 
the religion and morals of their sons should not suffer while 
under college oversight ; and hence it was deemed reasonable 
that the ministry had no man whose powers were too great for 
Carlisle, or whose eloquence and piety could be more usefully 
employed than in inspiring and moulding young men for the 
future of the Church and the nation. 

Mr. Cookman was accordingly sent to take the charge of the 
Church, composed of both town and college people. He was 
still a young man, in all the glow of youthful zeal, in the full 



SUCCESS IN CARLISLE. 



55 



force of rapidly culminating talents, and with all the earnest- 
ness of an absorbing devotion to the single work of a Christian 
pastor. His task as a preacher was a most difficult and deli- 
cate one — to stand before a congregation constituted as congre- 
gations are in a college town. He must satisfy professors, en- 
tertain students, and edify tradespeople. Could any position 
require more genuine ability ? There was Durbin before him — 
a natural Tecum seh in the pulpit, then in his prime, whose 
words from the same desk were not seldom like alternate ice 
and fire bolts crashing through the consciences of the hearers — 
there was Emory, exact, logical, and forcible — and McClintock, 
in the first flush of a round, graceful, and persuasive oratory. 
There too were the fastidious, hypercritical collegians of all 
classes, the hardest hearers ; and, not least, the matter-of-fact 
outside business community ; but the pastor was master of the 
situation, nothing appalled him ; his commission was from God, 
and he faithfully fulfilled it. His influence over all classes was 
unique and perfect. In the pulpit, the parlor, the prayer-meet- 
ing, he was the acknowledged leader, and never was a ministry 
under like circumstances more productive of good. His tro- 
phies for the Cross were gathered from all these circles ; young 
men were then and there converted through his preaching who 
have since become honored in all the walks of life. 

But I must not forget our boy of nine summers, whose eyes 
opened upon these scenes in which his worthy father was so 
distinguished an actor. He also had come to college ; and he 
equally, but in a different sense, was to be the companion of 
these classic men and their surroundings. Under such circum- 
stances, in this focus of knowledge and piety, an impulse was to 
be imparted to him which was to determine his whole after-life. 
I know of few spots upon which Alfred could have fallen at this 
impressible age more suitable in all its adjuncts for his first 
formal entrance into school. Of the people about him, to whose 
constant association the office and personal worth of his father 



56 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



would naturally introduce him, I have spoken ; but of the place 
itself and its environs much can be said. Carlisle has but little 
attractiveness in its immediate topography or in its artificial 
structure — a plain town, its only importance is as the civil and 
natural centre of a thrifty agricultural county, without any ob- 
jects of taste whatever ; the outlying country is very beautiful. 
The Cumberland Valley, in which it lies, is broad and undula- 
ting, abounding in springs and streams ■ its soil rich and pro- 
ductive, its whole bosom covered with fertile farms or luxuriant 
forests ; while in the distance on either side the North and 
South Mountains, spurs of the Alleghanies, rise into promi- 
nence and sweep along in unbroken succession, save here and 
there a gentle gap, and form, in their continuous, wavy outlines, 
one of the most agreeable prospects which can be offered to the 
eye. I doubt if old Carlisle, in England, after which it is named, 
possesses a more charming situation. 

It can not be supposed that this physical beauty was without 
educational effect upon the ardent temperament of the boy, in- 
clined as he was by his healthful nature to relish all sensuous 
delights. Indeed, the aesthetical sense born in him, and after- 
ward so strongly marked in his intellectual development, and 
the devout reverence for God in works of nature always so 
prominent through his whole life, must have received from it an 
exciting and durable effect. A lad so reflective as he is repre- 
sented from the very dawn of thought could not have been 
otherwise than most favorably influenced by habitual contact 
with scenes so simple and pleasing. 

" Not seldom from the uproar I retired 
Into a silent bay, or sportively 
Glanced sideway, leaving the tumultuous throng," 

might doubtless be said of him at this as well as later periods 
of his youth, and that not so much to elude his companions in 
play, as to gain for himself the quiet communion for which his 
thoughtful soul thirsted. 



Alfred's first letter. 



57 



But enough of my fancy and a little of fact from Alfred's own 
hand. Fortunately one of his earliest letters has been pre- 
served, and lies before me in his own handwriting. The com- 
position must be regarded as creditable for a boy of ten years : 
not surprising, however, when the exercises he was then having 
in school and the constant care his mother gave him are taken 
into account. The penmanship already shows the indications 
of the beautiful chirograph}- for which his later manuscripts are 
noted. It is to his grandfather, Cookman : 

" Carlisle, January 27, 1838. 

" My dear Grandfather, — I have long been thinking that it was my 
duty to write a letter to one for whom I desire to cherish the warmest affec- 
tion, and to whom we are already under very great obligations. * * * 

" First of all I must congratulate you on your very honorable election to 
the high office of mayor to the important and flourishing town of Kingston- 
upon-Hull. Although we boys are Americans and Republicans in our feel- 
ings, yet we are not insensible to the honor attached to offices conferred by 
the votes of the people. * * * 

" I am very happy to say that dear mother's health continues very good. 
Fortunately for her, the winter up to this time has been unusually mild ; 
indeed, the last week has rather resembled the month of April than January, 
so that she has been able to go out three or four times a week in the middle 
of the day and see her friends. Indeed, ever since she was in Baltimore her 
health has been gradually improving, and long may she live to be what she 
has truly been, the best of mothers. 

'• About Christmas we had a slight fall of snow, which rendered the roads 
for a few days in good condition for sleighing, which is the favorite winter 
pastime in these parts. Almost every farmer has a good sleigh, and when 
you have a couple of stout horses and a plentiful supply of thick buffalo skins 
to keep out the frost, it is the finest riding in the world. Sometimes the 
citizens will put a great Pennsylvania wagon on runners, and yoke four or 
five good horses, and then thirty or forty ladies and gentlemen can enjoy 
themselves right well. Even we boys have our little sleigh, and it would 
amuse you to see myself and George going at full speed, with Frank on the 
sleigh, holding little John on his knee. 

" It becomes my duty to give some account of our progress at the Gram- 
mar School. This is a large, elegant square building, three stories high, 
opposite the front gate of the college. The basement floor is occupied by 

C 2 



58 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



the steward's apartments, the second by two spacious, lofty rooms, above 
fifty feet square, and divided by two folding-doors into the English and Clas- 
sical departments. Mr. Roszell has the superintendence, and is a very strict 
man indeed. Mr. Hey is an Englishman, and is said to be one of the best 
grammarians in the country. Mr. Cary and Mr. Bunting, under whose care 
I am at present, are the assistants. Since I entered the school I have gone 
four or five times through the English grammar, and twice through the 
Latin, having committed all the rules to memory. George has gone twice 
through his English grammar, and is now beginning Latin. I have been 
twice through Tytler's Universal History ; I am nearly through my Latin 
reader and geography, and have drawn a few maps. In arithmetic I am as 
far as the last section of discount. Besides all this, I have constant exer- 
cises in parsing, composition, and elocution. I have written four or five 
original essays, and declaimed before the school three times, and frequently, 
besides three or four other tasks, have to write out an entire Latin verb in 
an evening. So you may believe we are not idle. Indeed, they work us 
very hard. Mr. Roszell says it will keep us out of mischief, and father says 
it is the very thing ; but, indeed, I really do not know how I should have got 
along if it had not been for the help of my dear mother, who usually gives 
her evenings to the purpose. 

" In conclusion, allow me to say that we hope the deep interest and liber- 
ality you have manifested for our education will be met by a corresponding 
application and improvement on our part, so that you will not have cause 
to be ashamed of us. 

" Father, mother, George, Francis, William Wilberforce, and John Emory 
all unite in great affection to yourself, uncles, aunts, and cousins Robinson 
and Holmes, for whose welfare, present and eternal, we are taught daily to 
pray to Almighty God. Your affectionate grandson, 

"Alfred Cookman." 

To this the father adds a postscript : 

"The subjoined is a Saturday afternoon exercise which Alfred, at my in- 
stance, has written for your inspection, and at your request. You will re- 
member he is only just ten years old, and has been subjected to the inter- 
ruption of the children, which has given a hurried and careless air to his 
writing. But the Right Worshipful, the Mayor of Hull and Admiral of the 
Humber, will treat the American boy magnanimously, especially as it is a 
first effort at epistolary writing. 

"Your Advertiser came safe to hand. Your 'inauguration speech' is 
going the rounds to Philadelphia and Baltimore to friends Suddards and Plas- 
kitt. It was in the college reading-room for a few days, and was admired by 



SCHOOL AND HOME TRAINING. 



59 



the Faculty and students for its moderation and propriety. Things look 
squally here both North and South. Canada will not easily settle on the 
New York frontier. I am solicited to go to Washington, Philadelphia, and 
Charleston, but will leave it with the Episcopacy. The Lord will provide. 
Accept our love." 

Alfred's "first effort at epistolary writing" certainly needs 
no apology. If it chances to fall under the eye of any "gram- 
mar-school" student of that day, its references to the "fine, ele- 
gant square building," and to Mr. Roszell as "a very strict man 
indeed," will be duly appreciated. Mr. Roszell did not believe 
in sparing the rod ; but whether he ever had cause to admin- 
ister it to our boy or no, I have not learned. Alfred was stu- 
dious and obedient ; but it must not be supposed he was a saint 
from the cradle. The moral heroism of his character was not 
without its physical and mental basis ; and possibly, but for the 
timely training of judicious parents, the metal of his disposition 
would have betrayed him into many of the rudenesses of other 
boys. Twice in his life he was whipped — when four years old, 
for throwing a book at his mother, and, when seven or eight, for 
fighting with his brother George. Was there ever a boy who 
didn't enjoy once in a while the exercise of a little power over 
his younger and weaker brother? How else can he show his 
muscle ? And who so fair a subject for Alfred's muscle as little 
George ? It was a good thing in the mother that she flogged 
the darling even at four and seven, otherwise "her Solomon" 
would likely never have been, and her temple to God never 
have been reared. Not the least lesson taught him while he 
was learning "literature" from the fair friend, was this whip- 
ping-lesson from his mother. But how like a sweet melody 
breathes the testimony of the dear mother to the fidelity of her 
boy, even thus young in years : " His boyhood was spent pretty 
much like that of other boys, in the sports and occupations of 
that period of his young life. Obedience to parental authority 
was a prominent characteristic from his earliest years. Prompt- 



6o 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ness in the performance of duty was another beautiful trait. In- 
dustry, patience, and perseverance were very early brought into 
requisition, and served a good purpose in laying a foundation 
for the successive periods of after life." In this letter, too, is 
seen already the dawn of his thorough Americanism, and of his 
faculty for description. The sleighs and sleigh-rides of a Penn- 
sylvania winter, the sled with himself and George in the har- 
ness, "going at full speed, with Frank on the sleigh holding lit- 
tle John on his knee" — are not these to the life ? This first let- 
ter also shows us Alfred among his brothers. Alas ! too soon 
the buoyant lad, whose heart knew no thrill except of gladness 
as he guided the sports of his gleeful brothers, was to stand 
among them an elder brother and a thoughtful counselor. But 
let the vail rest, for we are yet some way from the awful dark- 
ness, and have many important and pleasant steps to take be- 
fore we reach it. 

In this winter of 1838 Alfred made another first effort, of 
greater moment than his first essay at "epistolary Writing." 
The deep religious seriousness which he had felt in Baltimore 
had not at any time wholly subsided, and now, under the power 
of the Holy Spirit, was vividly renewed. "There (Carlisle) I 
became," he has recorded, "the subject of powerful conviction. 
Often I have risen from my meal and sought some lonely place 
where I might weep on account of sin. Frequently I have lain 
awake on my bed, fearing to sleep, lest I might wake up amid 
the darkness and horrors of an eternal Hell. Sin became a 
burden too intolerable to be borne." This is strong language 
for a youth of ten years, and for one who had been uniformly 
affectionate and obedient; and yet such an experience even for 
a youth in those days was hardly exceptional ; but though it 
might have been, in his case it is not surprising in view of the 
sharp and definite features his religious character always as- 
sumed. Here, in the beginning of the spiritual life, is the same 
positiveness which afterward characterized his maturity. " Sin 



ALFRED'S CONVERSION. 6 1 

is real, Hell is real ; lama sinner ; I am in danger of its pun- 
ishment." Such was the revelation the Holy Ghost made in 
his conscience, and he felt and acted accordingly. It may 
not be necessary that every youth should feel thus deeply in 
order to become regenerate, but for Alfred Cookman it was the 
very best preparation he could have had for that clear and 
definite religious experience which subsequently distinguished 
him. Fortunately he has left a narration of his conversion, 
which I give entire : 

"During the month of February, 1838, while a protracted 
meeting was in progress in Carlisle, I concluded / now is the 
accepted time,' ' now is the day of salvation.' One night, when 
a social meeting was held at the house of a friend, I struggled 
with my feelings, and, although it was a fearful cross, I urged 
my way to a bench which was specially appropriated for peni- 
tents. My heart convulsed with penitential sorrow, tears stream- 
ing down my cheeks, I said, 'Jesus, Jesus, I give myself away; 
'tis all that I can do.' For some hours I sought, without, how- 
ever, realizing the desire of my heart. The next evening I 
renewed the effort. The evening after that the service was held 
in the church; the altar was crowded with seeking souls, princi- 
pally students of Dickinson College; there seemed to be no 
place for me, an agonized child. I remember I found my way 
into one corner of the church. Kneeling all alone, I said, 'Pre- 
cious Saviour, Thou art saving others, oh, wilt Thou not save me?' 
As I wept and prayed and struggled, a kind hand was laid on 
my head. I opened my eyes and found it was a Mr. James 
Hamilton, a prominent member and an elder in the Presby- 
, terian Church in Carlisle. He had observed my interest, and 
obeying the promptings of a kind, sympathizing Christian heart, 
he came to encourage and help me. I remember how sweetly 
Tie unfolded the nature of faith and the plan of salvation. I 
said, 'I will believe, I do believe; I now believe that Jesus is my 
Saviour; that He saves me — yes, even now;' and immediately, 



62 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



" 'The opening heavens did round me shine 
With beams of sacred bliss ; 
And Jesus showed His mercy mine, 
And whispered I am His.' 

" I love to think of it now ; it fills my heart unutterably full 
of gratitude, love, and joy. 1 Happy day ; oh, happy day, when 
Jesus washed my sins away !' " 

It will thus be seen that the great change wrought in his 
heart, as presented in his own language in mature life, was as 
decided in the evidences of its thoroughness, as were his con- 
victions for sin. 

The altar was thronged with older persons, mostly students, 
whose presence and importance very naturally engrossed atten- 
tion'; he was only a little boy ; his feelings might be regarded 
as the result of a sympathetic excitement, and not worthy of es- 
pecial notice ; but he understood himself, and oppressed with 
sin and bent upon relief, "he found himself in one corner of the 
church, all alone." Ah! my little brother, God's Spirit was do- 
ing a genuine work in your young heart. Your great Creator 
had also put iron in your "make-up" when He formed you. 
There were hours coming when again " all alone with your Sav- 
iour " you must stand ; hours so bitter in their loneliness that 
only Jesus and self-reliance can keep you firm to duty and give 
you victory. Although Alfred was off in the corner, God sent 
him a kind friend who opened the kingdom of God to him. 
There are always some great souls who can understand the 
hearts of little children, and have faith enough to anticipate the 
harvests which will come of tiny seeds. But Alfred had good 
companionship among the youths brought to God in this re- 
vival. The great Head of the Church was electing others who, 
like himself, were to be marked and useful men. 



CHAPTER IV. 



REV. GEORGE G. COOKMAN IN THE CAPITAL OF THE NATION. — 
THE YOUTH OF ALFRED. 

The time had come — spring of 1838 — when Mr. Cookman 
must again remove, and go he knew not whither, at the appoint- 
ment of the Episcopacy. As intimated in the letter already- 
quoted, Philadelphia, Charleston, and Washington wished his 
services. To the latter city, the national capital, he was sent ; 
and the cozy college town was exchanged for the political cen- 
tre of the nation, and now upon a broader scene the eloquent 
and devout preacher was to make his appearance. The two 
years at Carlisle were invaluable to the man who henceforth 
must stand before "kings." Two more years, and four or six 
more, would have been valuable to Alfred. It was hard for him 
to leave the " stately grammar school," with its " strict disci- 
pline," and to give up the prospect of a speedy entrance into the 
walls of the college, a prize so coveted by every true " 'prep 
but when the itinerant wheel rolls, the schools of boys must 
stand out of the way, and so Alfred must go with father and 
mother and brothers ; he was too young to be left behind, and 
he must do the best he can in the pursuit of "literature" in 
Washington City. Mr. Cookman was stationed at Wesley 
Chapel, then a new charge, comprising in its membership many 
of the most cultivated and progressive Methodists of the city. 

The proximity of his church to the Capitol rendered it con- 
venient of access to the members of Congress and to strangers 
visiting Washington during the sessions. His ministry began 
at once to excite attention ; soon the chapel was thronged with 
hearers from all sections of the country, irrespective of denomi- 



6 4 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



national connections, and his reputation was promptly estab- 
lished as a first-class pulpit orator. It may be safely affirmed 
that no minister ever entered Washington who maintained from 
first to last a greater ascendency over the popular heart. Men 
and women of every grade of society, of every station in the 
government, were equally charmed by his forcible and beautiful 
eloquence. Senators, heads of Departments and their clerks, 
rich and poor, the litterateur and the illiterate man, the slave- 
holder and the slave, all alike were captured by his magical 
tongue, and he swayed their hearts as with the wand of a ma- 
gician — with " a warrior's eye beneath a philosopher's brow," 
his spell was irresistible. 

Mr. Cookman had a reputation for eloquence before his ad- 
vent in Washington. This undoubtedly helped him to an ex- 
pectant hearing ; but, if he had not possessed genuine power, 
his failure must have been proportionately great, as the pre- 
vious expectations aroused had been high. To sustain a repu- 
tation is proof of real ability. In most instances, however, his 
power was attested by his signal influence over men who, out- 
side of the Methodist Church, had never heard of him, or who 
went first to listen to him with comparative indifference. Often- 
times the casual listener, who had come to church to worship, 
to hear any body, and who was not acquainted either with the 
name or the personal appearance of Mr. Cookman, was so 
strongly impressed as to wish to hear him constantly ever after- 
ward, i^an example illustrative of this, and also showing how 
Mr. Cookman came to be elected Chaplain to Congress, I give 
here part of a sketch from the Hon. O. H. Smith, then United 
States Senator from Indiana, which appeared in the Lidianapo- 
lis Journal soon after Mr. Cookman's death : 

" It was Sabbath morning. The last of the city church-bells was ringing 
as I left my boarding-house on Capitol Hill, at Washington City, for Wesley 
Chapel. It was quarterly meeting. The preacher had closed his sermon, 
when there arose at the desk a slender, spare man, about five feet eight, 



CHAPLAINCY OF THE U. S. SENATE. 



65 



dark complexion, black hair falling carelessly over his high forehead, lean, 
bony face, wide mouth, round breasted black coat with velvet falling collar, 
black vest and pantaloons. Addressing the congregation, he said: 'We de- 
sire to take up a small collection for the relief of destitute, worn-out Meth- 
odist preachers and their families. We appeal to-day to the hearts of the 
congregation,' and took his seat. A large collection followed. I whispered 
to Patrick G. Good, of Ohio, who sat by me, 'Who is that?' 'Don't you 
know him? It is George G. Cookman.' The next Sabbath I was at the 
chapel again. Mr. Cookman preached. I returned satisfied that he was 
no ordinary man. The election for Chaplain of the Senate came on a few 
days after, and without the knowledge of Mr. Cookman, I privately suggest- 
ed his name to the Senators around me. The most of them had heard him 
preach. He was elected Chaplain by a decided vote over Rev. Henry Sli- 
cer,* against whom there was not the least objection ; but we wanted to 
bring Mr. Cookman more prominently before the public. The next Sab- 
bath he preached his first sermon in the Hall of the House, to a very large 
congregation, from the text, ' The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.' He 
made a profound impression on his hearers that day, which seemed to in- 
crease with every succeeding sermon." 

Such a testimony was all the more creditable to Mr. Cook- 
man, coming, as it did, from a Presbyterian gentleman. The 
interest shown in promoting his election to the Chaplaincy of 
the United States Senate was certainly magnanimous in Mr. 
Smith, but is the more significant as showing the remarkable in- 
fluence which Mr. Cookman gained over those who heard him. 

It was in the winter of 1838-9 that his election to this honor- 
able position occurred. Politics were running high. The coun- 
try has never known a more excited political canvass, except 
during the late civil war, than was then pending. The Whigs 
and the Democrats were the two great parties which disputed 
for victory. The first talents of the land were gathered in the 
capital. Orators, whose names are forever identified with the 
classic period of American eloquence ; statesmen, who were 
probing and settling the principles of constitutional law for 

*The Rev. Dr. Slicer was several times Chaplain of the Senate after this, 
and always sustained a high reputation for fidelity in the position. 



66 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



generations yet unborn ; sagacious men from all the pursuits of 
life, elected to represent the diversified interests of widely differ- 
ing sections, were experimenting in the problems of banking, 
protection, free-trade, of slave and free labor, of colonization, 
of internal improvements ; soldiers, whose laurels won in the 
late war with England were scarcely yet withered, and who, 
jealous of every possible encroachment of the mother-country, 
were eagerly watching for the adjustment of all difficulties be- 
tween the two nations on a satisfactory basis — these all were in 
the Congress of 1838-9. The illustrious triumvirs — Clay, 
Webster, and Calhoun — and many others of hardly less fame, 
such as Benton, Berrien, Preston, Wright, Buchanan, occupied 
seats in the Senate. But Mr. Cookman was equally at home 
here as he had been at Carlisle before the professors. 

A man of one work, his simple, devout piety was unchanged, 
and here, as elsewhere, inspired his preaching and his conduct. 
He so preached and so lived, with such an evident singleness 
of purpose, with such unaffected humility of spirit, as to win 
universal respect and confidence. His theme was Christ cru- 
cified ; his object the salvation of men. Whether he preached 
in the Hall of the House of Representatives or in his own 
church, his sermons were not only eloquent in the popular 
sense, but appropriate, forcible, and direct, and uniformly con- 
veyed to those who heard him proof of his deep and thorough 
religious earnestness. In these hours of responsibility, when 
the wisest were ready to receive his instructions ; and of dan- 
ger, when the incense of praise was perfuming his life, there 
was need of all that close application to books, that profound 
devotion to Christ, and that jealousy of self which he cultivated 
in his earlier religious experience. There is such a thing as the 
hiding of power in the present for the uses of the future. Young 
men, whom the great Master leads through conflicts, through 
long and tedious days of proving, through earnest and self-de- 
nying wrestles for purity and knowledge, do not always realize 



EX-PRESIDENT PIERCE. 



67 



that they are storing the strength which is afterward to be their 
great resource. The highest proof of a great mind is its reserved 
force. In this element Mr. Cookman was pre-eminent in his 
sphere. His hold on God, his clear-sightedness, his firm con- 
victions, his understanding of his own aims, his thorough self- 
abnegation, enabled him to stand unawed before the wisdom of 
the nation. 

As might be expected, a ministry thus faithful was not with- 
out its direct fruits. In an ordinary church immediate results 
are looked for, and usually follow j but too often the highest 
ends of preaching, when to such congregations as then assem- 
bled in the House of Representatives, are left to the remote fut- 
ure. Some of the first men of the land were deeply moved by 
the minister's searching and persuasive appeals. Among them 
was ex-President Franklin Pierce, at that time one of the Sen- 
ators from New Hampshire. Mr. Pierce never ceased to cher- 
ish for the memory of Mr. Cookman the most reverent affection, 
and although he did not at this time take a decided open stand 
for Christ and unite* with the Methodist Church, it will be re- 
membered that in his later life he manifested the highest respect 
for religion, and some years before his death, on profession of 
faith, he was received into the communion of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church. It will be no breach of confidence, now 
that both of these men of God have passed away, if I make 
public Mr. Cookman's own account of Mr. Pierce's awakening, 
written at the time to Professor Caldwell, of Dickinson College. 
Reference is also made to Senator Linn, of Missouri, who like- 
wise manifested much religious feeling : 

" Washington City, D. C, February 28th, 1839. 
************ 
" This morning I had an interesting and memorably affecting interview 
with a friend of yours, Senator Pierce, of New Hampshire, who is at pres- 
ent the subject of deep, poignant convictions of the Spirit of God. He has 
been attending my ministry regularly ever since I have been in the city, and 
for the last three or four weeks his heart has been broken up indeed, and 



68 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



a more sincere, humble, penitent sinner I have seldom seen. He opened 
his mind, he said, for the first time to any human being on the overwhelm- 
ing subject of his soul's salvation, and while tears coursed down his cheeks, 
and he paced the room — and then sat down and commenced anew the histo- 
ry of his life and the convictions of God's Spirit upon his mind ; my own 
mind was deeply affected, for he is a gentleman to whom I am very much 
attached — an amiable, frank, sincere character. He expresses his intention 
of attending the ministry and class-meetings of the Methodists on his return 
to Concord, and also here in this city, if spared to see another session of 
Congress. He requested me to pray for him on the spot, in my parlor, and 
appeared deeply affected and earnestly engaged for the salvation of his soul. 

" Senator Linn, of Missouri, has also manifested great interest on the sub- 
ject of religion. He is intimate with Senator Pierce — may both be brought 
into the favor and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you are acquainted 
with the Rev. J. M. F., the stationed preacher at Concord, New Hampshire, 
a few lines from you advising of Senator Pierce's peculiar religious state 
might be expedient — although I think it best in general to keep these cases 
away from the bulk of our people, who talk too much when great sinners are 
convicted, which often defeats the desired object. If you could write to the 
Senator it might have a good effect." 

Among Professor Caldwell's unpublished manuscripts is a 
letter to the Senator, breathing a wisdom, purity, fidelity, and 
affection which must have been not only kindly received, but 
have made an enduring impression upon his mind. One of its 
closing sentences is, "Permit me, my dear sir, to express a 
hope that your application to the fountain of all truth, and to 
the source of all wisdom, may be so successful that you may 
never have occasion to rest your hopes for this world or the 
next on the doubts and uncertainties of skepticism — the system 
to which I believe all ultimately resort who are so unfortunate 
as to find no better." 

But I must not forget, in the work and fame which were thus 
clustering so thickly about the father, the lovely youth who was 
unobtrusively pursuing the even tenor of his way. It was Mr. 
Cookman's habit to make a companion of Alfred. Frequently 
he took him to the Senate Chamber, where he received the at- 
tentions of Senators in the genial greetings which occurred. 



ALFRED IN THE CAPITAL. 



6 9 



He was just then as handsome, well-formed, and as engaging a 
boy of eleven years as could be found. He could appreciate, 
if not the intrinsic worth, the manifest popularity of his father 
as evinced in the position to which he was chosen, in the crowds 
that thronged his ministry, and in the compliments bestowed 
on his preaching ; and it is not to be supposed he was indiffer- 
ent to it all. His young heart swelled, no doubt, with emotions 
of pride for his father, and for himself as the son of such a fa- 
ther, and the consequent partner in his fame. The outside 
world of men and things into which Alfred was thus introduced, 
differed vastly from the simple surroundings of Carlisle — great 
men, great buildings, great measures, great pageants ; these 
now crowded the thoughts that so recently were taken up and 
satisfied with books, play, and prayers. 

I spoke of the disadvantage his education must suffer by his 
removal from the grammar school at Carlisle just as he was 
getting into thorough drill ; equally it should not surprise us if 
his religious life, when removed from familiar and genial friend- 
ships into new and strange associations, were to meet with a 
chill which would abate its warmth, if not stop its growth. The 
first few days and nights of a plant's transfer from the nursery 
to the open air, are always days and nights of peril to its open- 
ing buds. How many young Christians, who commence with 
vigorous promise, fall away and perish because of a too sudden 
change of place or of pastors ! Alfred did not lose his religious 
faith ; but, by his own acknowledgement, his experience de- 
clined in vitality — he was not the same joyous little Christian 
for some months that he had been soon after being "all alone 
with Jesus" in the corner of the church. 

" Some time after this we removed to Washington City, in the 
District of Columbia. Here I fell in with new associates who 
felt no interest in the subject of religion, and declined a little 
in my warmth and zeal, and partook a little too much of their 
spirit." The subsidence of his piety was of short duration. 



7o 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



" The camp-meeting season rolled around ; I expressed a de- 
sire to go ; my mother cheerfully consented, observing, ' My 
son, I want you to seek at the meeting an entire restoration of 
your former happy experience, and regain every step you have 
lost by want of watchfulness.' Her counsel followed me to the 
forest. I sought God again. I remember the night ; I remem- 
ber the circumstances ; the struggle was long and painful, it 
continued almost to the breaking of the day. Glory to God ! 
however, He who said, 'Return unto Me, backsliding Israel, 
and I will heal all thy backslidings and love thee freely,' heard 
and answered, and restored unto me the joy of His salvation. 
Oh how beautiful the following morning appeared ! the sky 
seemed bluer than before, the air sweeter, the trees greener, the 
landscape lovelier — all nature seemed to appear in a new dress. 
I felt like saying, ' Come unto me all ye that fear God, and I 
will tell you what He hath done for my soul.' My precious fa- 
ther had gone off the ground to spend the night. I knew the 
way he would most probably return. I hastened in that direc- 
tion, saw him coming, sprung into his arms, fell on his neck, 
and told him how happy I was. Since then I have had a place 
in the Church of Jesus Christ. In the midst of great unfaith- 
fulness and unworthiness God has borne with and preserved 
me, and now I feel to say, 

" 1 Here I'll raise my Ebenezer, 
Hither by Thy help I've come.' 

" I attribute my conversion under God to the instruction, ex- 
ample, and influence of pious parents." 

Henceforth the camp-meeting was to be hallowed ground to 
Alfred Cookman. The father was nowhere more effective than 
when on "the stand" before a crowd at camp-meeting. The 
ample platform, the absence of huge breastworks, the direct 
contact with the worshiping throng, the presence of earnest 
brethren, the natural and artificial accompaniments offered the 
exact conditions of his happiest efforts ; but Alfred was to find 



ALFRED UNITES WITH THE CHURCH. 



71 



in the camp-meeting all these aids, and more — the memory of 
this happy renewal of religious joy which he has so graphically 
narrated. His attachment to the camp-meeting, the ardor and 
constancy with which he used it as an agency of good, and the 
gracious results accomplished by him through it, ought not to 
surprise us. It is manifest from this account, our young friend 
could not consent to be religious by halves — he must be a 
whole-hearted Christian, or not at all. Entireness becomes the 
fundamental law of his spiritual life. If these pages shall dis- 
close any thing in regard to him, it must be, "All for God" — 
" first, last, midst." He returned from the camp-meeting with 
his heart all aglow with sacred joy, and from the impulse which 
it awakened began at once to seek means of personal useful- 
ness. He must communicate what he knew and felt to other 
boys; and so, of his free motion, "he established a prayer-meet- 
ing for boys of his own age, and worked in various ways to im- 
press his own spirit upon all with whom he came in contact. 
Many were induced to take their first steps in a religious life 
through his example and persuasion." 

In the autumn (1838) he united wdth the Church. His fa- 
ther had thought it best to keep him on "probation" until he 
gave satisfactory proofs of a stable piety. Soon after his re- 
moval to Washington he commenced to exercise himself on the 
platform as a speaker, and at that early age received much 
commendation and evinced great promise, so that "predictions 
were freely made of what the future of this young speaker might 
be, to which the father readily assented." It was no little credit 
to the youthful "Cicero" that his father readily assented, for, 
whether for banter or not, Mr. Cookman used to rouse the 
mother's jealousy for her little "Temple builder" by intimating, 
" Your Solomon is a rather dull boy !" I doubt if he was even 
then so noted for quickness of perception as for tenacity in 
sticking to a lesson until he had mastered it, and then holding 
it fast. What is of most interest at this particular point is — he 



72 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



appears before us at twelve years of age a decidedly religious 
lad in experience and action, and a speaker, thus affording us a 
clear view of the dawn of that personal career which was event- 
ually to open into full-orbed day. 

Mr. Cookman during the winters of 1839-40, 1840-41, was 
at the zenith of his fame. The newspapers of the day not un- 
frequently noticed his preaching in the most complimentary 
terms. Numerous extracts could be given showing the high 
estimate in which he was held, both as a man and a Christian 
minister. A correspondent of the United States Gazette, then 
the leading paper of Philadelphia, under date of January 7th, 
1839, wrote thus of one of his earlier efforts: "Yesterday the 
Hall of the House of Representatives was crowded to over- 
flowing for the purpose of hearing Mr. Cookman, the new Chap- 
lain of the Senate. * * * All the tlite of Washington City were 
present. Thronged as we are with strangers during the sessions 
of Congress, there is no place of worship to which they feel that 
they have a sort of legitimate right of entree, except when the 
House of the People of the United States is converted into the 
House of God : thither they usually flock for their religious exer- 
cises. All sects as well as all ranks join their devotions here, 
and I have always observed that the ministry, with good taste 
much to their credit, when addressing audiences of such pe- 
culiar character, shun those points of doctrine which are pro- 
ductive of controversy, and content themselves with inculcating 
religion in its broad, simple, and incontrovertible sense. Mr. 
Cookman is of the Methodist persuasion, and has won consider- 
able celebrity for his oratorical power. Slightly made, of an 
age scarcely exceeding thirty years (as far as I could form an 
opinion at a distance), free from affectation of style and manner, 
he held his large and enlightened auditory in the deepest atten- 
tion for about an hour, while he expounded from the words of 
St. Paul, ' I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is 
the power of God unto salvation.' The descriptions of the 



FUNERAL SERMON OF SENATOR BETTS. 



73 



apostle were given with a graphic power which was attested by 
the deep silence and breathless attention of all present. In 
that vast circle, so entirely were all absorbed, that the cracking 
of a chair caused a visible sensation. From the death of Ste- 
phen, the first martyr, he tracked him to the arraignment be- 
fore Felix, marking every step with a precision which gave indi- 
viduality to his posture j and, judging from the countenances 
of all around me, I was satisfied the preacher had established 
himself on a high' basis as a Christian orator." 

An occasion which afforded an opportunity for the versatile 
talents of Mr. Cookman, particularly for the expression of pa- 
thos as an element of power, occurred at the funeral services of 
the Hon. Thaddeus Betts, of Connecticut. Mr. Van Buren,the 
President of the United States, Mr. Forsyth, Mr. Woodbury, Mr. 
Poinsett, and Mr. Paulding, the heads of Departments, with a 
great number of the foreign Ministers and members of both 
Houses of Congress, were present. A correspondent of the Bal- 
timore American wrote of the sermon by Mr. Cookman : " It was 
one of the most eloquent and appropriate performances I have 
ever heard, and, though continued through an unusual length of 
time, it was listened to with almost breathless attention." The 
Hon. Mr. Smith, of Indiana, before quoted, said of this occa- 
sion : "I distinctly recollect one of his figures of speech— 'As 
the human family come upon the great stage of life, they find 
at every fork of the road the finger-board distinctly pointing to 
the grave— to the grave ! There is no other road to travel from 
infancy to old age and death, but the road that leads to the 
grave.' There was not a dry eye in the Chamber when he closed 
his sermon of one hour, and sang alone — his voice was melody 
itself— the single verse of the hymn, 

" ' And must this body die, 

This well-vrrought frame decay ? 
And must these active limbs of mine 
Lie mouldering in the clay ?' " 
D 



74 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Nor was Mr. Cookman wanting in that delicate humor which 
is so often allied with real pathos. He could use it too as cir- 
cumstances required, so that, while it would cut and correct, it 
rarely offended those at whom it was aimed, or the good taste 
of the most refined hearers. A writer in the New York Amer- 
ican said of a passage in one of his sermons : " He ventured 
once to-day on delicate ground. After having stated what the 
world is learning from the Church, he observed, in substance, 
'that statesmen are imitating the apostles of Christianity, and 
have become itinerating preachers of late, and that within a few 
months there have been many convictions, many conversions, 
and no want of songs and anthems (to the triumphs of Truth).' 
The idea of this parenthesis, it is true, was not openly con- 
veyed ; but it occasioned many smiles, and some red faces.* 
However, the preacher escaped just in season to save himself. 
It was a nice touch. The effect of all such things depends 
upon the manner and the tact of the man, in connection with 
the general respect he inspires. I do not think any body that 
was present will scold about it, but it was a close rub." I can 
not forbear quoting a little further from this writer. His de- 
scription will recall Mr. Cookman to those who had the pleas- 
ure of hearing him, and to those who had not, it will convey a 
more adequate notion of the man and his preaching : 

" I have already said that I think he is deservedly popular. 
He is modest, unassuming, and dignified. Withal he appears 
to be a good man in his appropriate calling. In the pulpit he 
has much action. In person slender, long arms, thin face, dark 
complexion, bushy hair, and can display his person in orator- 
ical action to great advantage. His voice is good, and suscep- 
tible of great power. His language is well chosen and simple. 
His elocution slow, deliberate, and effective — imparting great 
power occasionally to a single word, to a monosyllable, by his 
voice and manner. But it is not manner alone. The thought 
* The allusion was to the political canvass of 1840. 



STYLE. — CATHOLICITY. 



75 



is the soul, and is always worthy of attention. He has now and 
then a theatric start or sudden flight, with branching arms and 
stentorian voice or falsetto scream ; not, however, offensive to 
those who are disposed to tolerate liberties of this sort. It is 
the man enacting himself, or discoursing in his own way. He is 
decidedly one of the most remarkable models of eloquence 
there is in either House of Congress, and many of them might 
take lessons of him with profit.'' 

To explain fully the character of this eminent man, and the 
wide-spread influence which he exerted, especially beyond his 
own denomination, it is necessary to note the catholicity of his 
spirit. I insert the following extract from a Washington paper 
as illustrative of this trait, and also for its allusion to one of the 
most intellectual and saintly ministers which American Presby- 
terianism has produced : " On Sunday afternoon last the Rev. 
Mr. Cookman, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, so justly 
celebrated for his pulpit oratory and liberal sentiments, preach- 
ed in the Rev. Mr. McLain's Church (First Presbyterian, on 
Four-and-a-half Street). His text was John xvii., 21: 'That 
they all may be one ; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, 
that they also may be one in Us : that the world may believe 
that Thou hast sent Me.' The reverend gentleman stated 'that 
he had selected this text for the reason that, in conversation 
with the late Rev. Dr. Nevins (of the First Presbyterian Church 
in Baltimore, whose precious memory even the iron hand of 
time can. scarcely ever obliterate from the minds of the Chris- 
tian Church) during his last illness, the Doctor observed that, 
if he was again privileged to occupy his pulpit but once more, 
he would endeavor to preach from that text. Before the suc- 
ceeding Sabbath he was taken to his everlasting rest and re- 
ward.' No two spirits were ever more congenial than those of 
Nevins and Cookman, and during the delivery of his discourse 
it seemed as if the mantle of the departed Elijah had fallen 
upon the speaker ; and, with thoughts that breathe .and words 



7 6 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



that burn, he illustrated and enforced the subject, giving full ut- 
terance to the sentiments of his departed friend." 

In the spring of 1840 Mr. Cookman was appointed to the 
charge of the Church in Alexandria City, D. C* He still re- 
tained his Chaplaincy, and regularly fulfilled its duties until the 
expiration of the Congress of the fourth of March, 1841. His 
pastorate in Alexandria was attended with all the marks of pub- 
lic favor and of ministerial usefulness which had accompanied 
him in other communities. There occurred nothing to the 
father to which" any special significance can be attached ; but 
with Alfred it was quite different. He had seen but little of 
slavery since he lived a child on the eastern shore of Maryland. 
In Pennsylvania and New Jersey the colored race was free • in 
Baltimore the free blacks were more numerous than the slaves, 
and this was true also of Washington. He had seen few, if any, 
of the more painful aspects of the institution ; and young as he 
was, it had seemed to him only a form of domestic servitude, re- 
lieved by the kind relationships often subsisting between mas- 
ters and slaves. In Alexandria a free black was rather an ex- 
ception. If, however, he had seen slavery even here only as he 
had been accustomed to it, there is no likelihood that any im- 
pression would have been made upon his mind of decided aver- 
sion to it. 

Near his father's residence was one of those painful features 
of the domestic slave-trade — a slave-pen or jail — which the boy 
used often to pass, and where he saw poor men, women, and 
children confined behind iron grates, sometimes manacled, for 
no other crime than that they were owned as property, and 
could be sold hither and thither by their owners at pleasure. 
Alexandria was a depot, to which the slaves purchased in Ma- 
ryland and the District of Columbia w r ere brought, and where 
they were lodged before being sent to supply the cotton-grow- 
ing states. Sometimes at the very doors of the jail would hap- 
* Alexandria was afterward re-ceded to the State of Virginia. 



PROPOSED VISIT TO ENGLAND. 



77 



pen those scenes which were well fitted to rend a stouter heart 
than that of our sensitive young friend. The husband would be 
rudely separated from the wife, and parents from their helpless 
children ; and these poor creatures, with all the instincts of hu- 
man nature, strengthened by tender associations, would vent 
their sorrow in bitter cries, which gathered around them a sympa- 
thizing crowd — how could Alfred look on without emotion, and 
without forming a deep hatred to laws which sanctioned such 
occurrences? Such sights were enough to wound the heart of a 
boy born in the midst of slavery ; how could they do otherwise 
than curdle the blood of a youth born of English parents, on free 
soil; and with such a soul as Alfred Cookman possessed? The 
iron then went deep into his heart, and forever after he was the 
enemy of slavery, and steadfastly did what he could consistently 
to abate and destroy it. This is the only scrap of Alfred's edu- 
cation or history in Alexandria of which I have any information. 

The disaster which removed Mr. Cookman from the scene of 
his usefulness and from the world was fast approaching. In the 
spring of 1841 he determined to visit England, and all his plans 
were accordingly made to sail from Xew York early in March, 
He had been appointed by the American Bible Society a fra- 
ternal delegate to represent it at the anniversary of the British 
and Foreign Bible Society to be held at Exeter Hall, London, 
and was to be made bearer of the first dispatches to the British 
Government from the incoming Administration of General Har- 
rison ; his main object, however, in going over, was to see again 
his venerable father, and "to drop a tear on the grave of his 
mother." It was fitting, in view of his position and popularity, 
that his farewell sermon should be preached in the Capitol. He 
was regarded as a pastor not only by the Alexandria Church, 
but by the Senate of the United States and large numbers of 
the floating and unchurched population. A well-nigh romantic 
interest centred in him. The spell of his eloquence and the 
aroma of his character had completely fascinated the people. 



78 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Never were there circumstances attending the delivery of 
a sermon more fully adapted to awaken in the preacher all 
his capacity of thought and emotion, or to render it more 
thrilling and abiding in the minds of the hearers. Washington 
was literally thronged with strangers from all parts of the coun- 
try. General Harrison had been elected President by an over- 
whelming majority, and his inauguration was about to take 
place in the presence of crowds the like of which for numbers 
and refinement the metropolis of the nation had never before 
seen. Mr. Cookman's fame was now commensurate with the 
American public ; though no politician, he was known to be in 
quiet sympathy with the dominant party ; his piety was univer- 
sally conceded ; his oratorical supremacy none disputed ; ex- 
pectation w r as on tip-toe. It may be safely affirmed that never 
had sacred orator more conditions in his favor. Added to all 
this was his speedy departure for a foreign land, to encounter 
the perils of a voyage from which he might never return — which 
consideration helped further to deepen in the popular heart the 
sense of his value, and to intensify in his own heart the convic- 
tion of his religious and ministerial responsibility. But he rose 
with the occasion. The external excitement infected him ; the 
grandeur of his spirit never before attained to such proportions, 
nor shone with such effective light. The account given by eye- 
witnesses can best convey some true notion of the man, the 
hour, and the place : 

" The session of Congress was about to close upon the administration of 
Mr. Van Buren. The inauguration of General Harrison was soon to take 
place. Mr. Cookman had all his arrangements made to visit England on 
the steamer President. The first dispatch from the new Administration was 
to be confided to his charge. The next Sabbath he was to take leave of the 
members of Congress in his farewell sermon. The day came. An hour 
before the usual time the crowd was seen filling the pavement of the ave- 
nue, and passing up the hill to Representative Hall, which was soon filled 
to overflowing, and hundreds, unable to get seats, went away disappointed. 
I obtained a seat early in front of the Clerk's desk. John Quincy Adams 



LAST SERMON IN THE CAPITOL. 



79 



sat in the Speaker's chair, facing Mr. Cookman. The whole space on the 
rostrum and steps was filled with Senators and Representatives. The mo- 
ment had come. Mr. Cookman, evidently much affected, kneeled in a thrill- 
ing prayer, and rose with his eyes blinded with tears. His voice faltered 
with suppressed emotion as he gave out the hymn, 

" ' When marshaled on the mighty plain, 
The glittering hosts bestud the sky, 
One star alone of all the train 

Can fix the sinner's wandering eye. 

" ' Hark ! hark ! to God the chorus breaks, 
From every host, from every gem ; 
But one alone the Saviour speaks, 
It is the star of Bethlehem. 

" ' Once on the raging seas I rode, 

The storm was loud, the night was dark — 
The ocean yawned, and rudely blowed 

The wind that tossed my foundering bark.' 

" The hymn was sung by Mr. Cookman alone. I can yet, in imagination, 
hear his voice, as it filled the large hall, and the last sounds, with their ech- 
oes, died away in the dome. 

" 'And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face 
the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. 

" 4 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books 
were opened : and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and 
the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, 
according to their works.' 

" Mr. Cookman was more affected when he gave us the text than I had 
ever seen him before. He several times passed his handkerchief over his eyes 
before he began. The first sentences are fresh in my recollection : ' When 
Massillon, one of the greatest divines that France ever knew, was called to 
preach the funeral service of the departed king, in the Cathedral, at Paris, 
before the reigning king, the royal family, the chambers, and the grandees 
of France, he took with him to the sacred desk a little golden urn, contain- 
ing a lock of hair of the late king. The immense congregation was seated, 
and the silence of death reigned. Massillon arose, held the little urn in his 
fingers, his hand resting upon the sacred cushion. All eyes were intently 
fixed upon him. Moments, minutes passed — Massillon stood motionless, 
pale as a statue ; the feeling became intense ; many believed he was struck 
dumb before the august assembly ; many sighed and groaned aloud ; many 



8o 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



eyes were suffused with tears, when the hand of Massillon was seen slowly 
raising the little golden urn, his eyes fixed upon the king. As his hand re- 
turned again to the cushion, the loud and solemn voice of Massillon was 
heard in every part of the Cathedral, ' God alone is great !' So I say to you 
to-day, my beloved hearers, there is no human greatness— 1 God alone is 
great /' 

" The subject was on the day of judgment. I had heard it preached be- 
fore many times, but never as I heard it then. The immense congregation 
was held almost breathless with the most beautiful and powerful sermon I 
ever heard. He spoke of the final separation on the great day of judgment, 
and fancied the anger of the Lord locking the door that led to the bottom- 
less pit, stepping upon the ramparts, letting fall the key into the abyss be- 
low, and dropping the last tear over fallen and condemned man. He closed 
— ' I go to the land of my birth, to press once more to my heart my aged 
father and drop a tear on the grave of my sainted mother; farewell! — fare- 
well !' and he sank down overpowered to his seat, while the whole congre- 
gation responded with sympathizing tears." 

A correspondent of the National Intelligencer, describing the 
same scene, after quoting Mr. Cookman's closing words, says : 
" There was something prophetic, solemn, and deeply affecting 
in the tones and manner of the preacher. * # * All who had 
known him, or who had listened with wrapt attention to the elo- 
quence which gushed from his lips, touched as with a living 
coal from the altar, were moved to tears, and seemed to feel as 
if they were taking in reality a last farewell of one who had 
given a new ardor to their piety, and thrown an additional in- 
terest into the sanctuary. The whole scene was in no ordinary 
degree grand, imposing, and affecting. The magnificent hall, 
a fit temple for the worship of the living God ; the crowd that 
had assembled to hear the last sermon of the minister whose 
eloquence they so much admired ; the attitude of the preacher, 
and the solemn and prophetic farewell, all conspired to excite 
feelings of the deepest solemnity and of the most intense inter- 
est." 



CHAPTER V. 



REV. GEORGE G. COOKMAN LOST AT SEA. — ALFRED'S RAPID 
PROGRESS. 

Mr. Cookman spent a few weeks about Washington, com- 
pleting his arrangements and taking leave of friends, and im- 
mediately after the first dispatch of the new Administration was 
prepared by Mr. Webster and committed to him, he left for New 
York. His last words to the gentleman so freely quoted from 
were, " May Heaven bless you, Mr. Smith ; if ever I return you 
shall see me in the West." He spent Sunday, 7th of March, in 
Philadelphia, worshiping with and taking the communion at 
the hands of his friend, the Rev. Dr. Suddards, rector of Grace 
Protestant Episcopal Church. On Monday he went to New 
York, and on Tuesday evening preached his last sermon in the 
Vestry Street Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he was to 
become the pastor after his return from England. He had in- 
tended to go to Boston and there take one of the Cunard steam- 
ers, but at the solicitation of friends changed his mind, and 
embarked on the steam-ship President at New York on the nth, 
for Liverpool. He left amid the tears and congratulations of 
friends. Neither the vessel nor any of her company was ever 
after heard from. 

Various conjectures were given at the time as to the ship's 
probable fate, the most likely of which is that, as a violent 
storm had been raging for days, she foundered soon after get- 
ting to sea. Hopes were entertained for a long time that she 
might be safe ; or, on the supposition that the vessel had found- 
ered, or had been burned, or had been crushed by icebergs, it 
was hoped that her crew and passengers had been rescued. 

D 2 



32 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



As the time arrived when tidings were due from the steamer, 
and no word came, the suspense both in England and America 
became intense and painful. The excitement prevailed among 
all classes. Steam-ship navigation was then comparatively in 
its infancy, and an accident to a steamer very naturally awak- 
ened more attention than now when fleets of them are plowing 
the ocean. The fact that Mr. Cookman was a passenger height- 
ened the public interest. His name was on every lip ; his mer- 
its as minister and orator, his worth as a citizen, his loss to the 
Church and the nation, but above all to his young family, were 
the theme of general conversation and newspaper comment. 
At length all hope for the ship and her passengers died out of 
the public mind j but not so in the heart of the stricken and 
devoted wife — hope lived in her heart many days after it had 
perished in the hearts of all others. She lived months and 
years with the expectation of seeing him return. The house 
was daily and nightly arranged — his chair at the table ready to 
be vacated, and all else adjusted with the expectation of his 
coming at any hour. 

Although not yet an accomplished fact with Mrs. Cookman, it 
was an accomplished fact that her husband had perished in the 
great waters. That "vasty deep" which he so loved, and from 
which he so often drew for choice imagery in the illustration of 
truth, and in the use of which he was almost without a peer, had 
become his grave. " He has discouraged me," said a Senator, 
distinguished for his eloquence, " in the use of my happiest fig- 
ures. There is such a richness, beauty, and force in his illustra- 
tions from the ocean, so far surpassing my reach, that I know not 
that I shall ever again attempt to use them." That ocean which 
he had several times crossed, where death had before stared him 
in the face, all whose myriad ways in storm and calm had become 
familiar to his mind, whose endless forms and colorings he had 
studied with an artist's eye and transferred with an artist's skill 
to the tables of memory, in solitary communion with which he 



SORROW ON THE SEA — AND ON THE LAND. 83 

had had so many thoughts of God and human destiny, so many 
seasons of prayer, praise, and aspiration, in whose, awful silence 
and restless life he had found such strange sympathy with his 
own nature, from which he had in all these respects received 
so much for his own enriching, had now at last received him. 
His loss pierced thousands of loving souls with acutest sorrow. 

But painful as was his death, the manner of it — sudden — in 
the sea — involved in mystery — threw around his end a tragic 
charm which well comported with the brilliancy of his reputa- 
tion, and which served to deepen and extend his already wide- 
spread influence. In the prime of his life, at the height of his 
fame, in the fullness of his intellectual powers, and in the ma- 
turity of grace, he was not, for God took him. A star of the 
first order was suddenly quenched. But another star was to 
arise in due time, if not of equal splendor, yet certainly of 
equal clearness and steadiness in its shining. 

I could fill pages with the public and private testimonials of 
the grief which pervaded all classes of society, and all circles 
of pursuit and profession, at the sad death of this eminent and 
good man. It would be pleasant to linger over these tender 
and discriminating tributes to his virtues, his services to the 
cause of Christ, and the rare eloquence with which God had en- 
dowed him, and which he had so successfully cultivated, but I 
am admonished by the limits of space and purpose which con- 
fine me, and the demand that I should hasten to bring forward 
into greater prominence the youth whose name and fame so 
quickly followed in the wake of his father's. 

Mr. Cookman wished and intended to take Alfred with him 
to England. He thought it would be gratifying to the grand- 
father to see him ; and the son had attained an age at which 
he could be a companion to his father, and also derive much 
improvement from travel. I can imagine how strong the pa- 
ternal instinct was in him, and how he must have yearned to 
have his first-born accompany him in so long an absence from 



8 4 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



home, and under circumstances so suited to render them both 
entirely happy. There is nothing upon which a child can de- 
pend for safety more than this same paternal instinct. Ulysses 
was consistent in his feigned madness — plowing the sea-shore 
with a horse and bull yoked together, and sowing salt instead 
of grain — until his little son Telemachus was placed in the way, 
when his deception was betrayed by his showing sufficient fore- 
sight to turn away the plow from killing the child. Mr. Cook- 
man could not but feel what a privation it would be to his wife 
to have Alfred leave her for so long a time, and what an addi- 
tional affliction it would be should neither the husband nor the 
son be permitted to return. The lad, also, was of sufficient ma- 
turity in years and character to be of great assistance to the 
mother in her care of the younger children. And so, finally, 
Mr. Cookman yielded his preference, and it was left to the boy 
himself to elect — to go with his father or to stay with his mother. 

It is difficult to see how any thing could have been more at- 
tractive to a youth of his age, tastes, and habits, than this trip 
homeward to England with his devoted father. He had heard 
the old country, grandfather, uncles, aunts, and cousins talked 
of, till his boyish fancy reveled in the thought of seeing them 
and their beautiful homes. But Alfred Cookman loved his 
mother as few boys ever did, he loved his brothers and sister 
as few elder brothers have ever done, his loyalty to duty had 
already become a passion, and his decision was given accord- 
ingly : "I will stay with mother, and help her take care of the 
children." These words give the key-note of his character. 
They not only preserved his life, but became the warp across 
which the web and woof of that life were woven into a fabric so 
strong and beautiful. He would do his duty first, and standing 
by his duty brought him into responsibilities which, under the 
divine blessing, made him what he was — a prince among God's 
spiritual Israel. The father then had to go alone. He went 
off cheerfully. Among the last words he spoke as the family 



THE DESOLATE FAMILY. 



85 



sat before the open fire, were these : " Now, boys, if your father 
sinks in the ocean, his soul will go direct to God, and you must 
meet him in heaven." 

"There was sorrow on the sea." There was sorrow on the 
land. In the homestead at Kingston-upon-Hull, an aged father 
was bowed with grief ; in many Christian houses, where the im- 
age of the saintly pastor was hung, if not on the walls, yet in 
the memories of grateful hearts, there was genuine mourning j 
but in the circle" where the desolate widow gathered her father- 
less children to a heart from which the warmth and light had 
well-nigh gone out, striving in vain to impart to them a comfort 
which she herself did not feel, who can depict the abyss of suf- 
fering into which this lovely family was thus suddenly plunged ! 
Every body was kind to them. Friends vied with each other 
in grateful offices. Warm hearts and cheerful homes were 
opened to them. But the very universality of regret and affec- 
tion which met them seemed for a time only to help their hearts 
to compass the extent of their bereavement. What must be 
their loss, in the loss of him whom every body else, even the 
comparative stranger, so missed and lamented ! The bright- 
ness of sympathy often casts our sorrows into a darker shadow. 

How like an angel of light Alfred now came to the side of his 
mother ! He restrained his own grief, and always appeared 
before her calm and cheerful. With the utmost delicacy he 
watched over her, anticipating all her wants with a foresight 
beyond his years, and exhibiting for her most hidden feelings a 
feminine tenderness of which she scarcely supposed him pos- 
sessed. Mrs. Cookman, from reveling in the brilliance of her 
husband's fame and usefulness, found herself all at once in such 
utter darkness that her mind from the shock sank into the 
deepest gloom. So overwhelmed was she, that for two years 
she did not recover her cheerfulness. The name of her hus- 
band could not be pronounced in her presence without unnerv- 
ing her, and so the mention of the father was studiously avoid- 



86 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ed by the children. All the while Alfred was preserving such 
a composed demeanor in the presence of his mother, he would 
lie awake nights thinking of his father. It was some distance 
from the quiet home in which the family were entertained to 
the nearest post-office, and as he often went for the mail, his 
heart would sink within him when no letter came from father, or 
from any one giving tidings of the ill-fated steamer. " How I 
did dread," he said in after years, " to return home, and meet 
my dear mother without a letter and see her disappointment I" 
Thus at thirteen years of age, when the thought of play is 
uppermost with most boys, was our young friend abruptly forced 
by the providence of God into a trying and important relation 
to the family. He must be a husband as well as son to his 
mother ; he must be father as well as eldest brother to the chil- 
dren. It is easy to conjecture, but impossible to know what 
would have been the course of Alfred's life, what the influence 
upon his character, what different impress he might have re- 
ceived, had his father lived. His training thus far, under the 
joint and harmonious direction of father and mother, was en- 
tirely judicious; he was as promising as the parents could wish; 
and, in all probability, had the father been spared to guide his 
studies as he grew to manhood, he might, in some respects, 
have been a more thoroughly cultured and intellectually a 
stronger man. What God's purpose was for the lad it is not 
for us even now to say ; yet, permitted as we are to know the 
facts of his subsequent career, and to understand the distinct- 
ive nature of his mission as it afterward unfolded, I must cer- 
tainly regard the great bereavement he sustained in the loss of 
his father as the crucial point of his history, in which the ele- 
ments of character hitherto prominent were fixed, and also the 
lines of action which afterward distinguished him took their 
rise. Alfred Cookman was endowed from a child with a genius 
for religion. His anointing was that of a spiritual seer — to see 
with the spirit into the innermost heart of spiritual Christianity, 



A SPIRITUAL SEER. 



87 



and from such seeing to lead men's minds into depths of a 
vital and blessed experience of the things of God, to which 
mere reason and even ordinary piety has no access. As the 
poet, by an endowment which transcends cold logic, pierces the 
core of things and opens their realities to the untutored mind- 
makes the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the dull to feel 
beauties otherwise hidden — so he, by a divine gift above the 
processes of the understanding, was to know the truths of the 
great Teacher, perceive their highest religious relations, and then 
to stand as interpreter of God's work in the soul, so that multi- 
tudes, blinded by the dust and engrossed with the cares of the 
world, might come to perceptions and attainments to which but 
for such an interpreter they must forever have remained ignorant. 

I look upon this great trial, therefore, as beginning at once 
the special work of which he was to be a pre-eminent example 
and instrument. He was to be an unworldly, sacred man, 
and God commenced with the stroke which cut him away from 
the strongest earthly support he had. Accustomed hitherto 
to lean on his father — now mother, brothers, sister, all lean on 
him ; and he, poor boy, has none to lean on but God ! Once 
again he was "all alone with Jesus." He had been taught that 
God is the only sure foundation of His children, and now he 
must prove it for himself by experience or perish. He did 
prove it; and at that early age began to show a ripeness of 
wisdom, a steadiness of purpose, an unselfishness, a goodness, 
faith, courage, which were far beyond his years. His mother 
testifies beautifully to his conduct at this period : 

" He was only thirteen years old when his dear father left us 
on a visit to his native land, the sequel of which proved so dis- 
astrous to a large, helpless family ; but which, notwithstanding, 
brought out in all their force and power what had been until 
now the germs of Alfred's character. He realized his position 
as the oldest of six children, and faithfully tried to fill up the 
chasm made by a wise, though inscrutable Providence. Eter- 



83 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



nity alone will unfold all he was to his family as a son and as 
a brother in the years of his minority." 

There is an old story told of a runaway Indian slave in Peru, 
who, in his escape, fleeing up the mountains from his pursuers, 
grasped a young sapling, and, clinging to it, tore it from the 
ground — when lo ! he saw adhering to its roots the silver glob- 
ules which revealed the precious metals of Potosi. That sap- 
ling was never planted again. It might have become the great 
tree, its branches a roost for the birds of the air, and its leaves 
a shade for man and beast ; but in its destruction the untold 
wealth of Peru had been discovered. The rude hand of disap- 
pointment tore from Alfred Cookman's heart the support of a 
father's love, and the tender leaves and flowers of hope which 
clustered around it ; but in doing so discovered to him a wealth 
of love far richer than silver and gold. His hold on the earthly 
father was broken, but his hold on the heavenly Father was 
made firm and indissoluble. In the wealth he gained, and the 
world through him, who shall mourn if the flowers, which might 
have been so fair, lie withered at the feet of his youth ? 

Soon after her husband's departure for England, Mrs. Cook- 
man had gone, by invitation, with her children to the eastern 
shore of Maryland, where they were all to remain the guests of 
Mr. Samuel Harrison, until the husband's return in June, when 
they were to remove to New York City. Her stay was pro- 
longed till the month of August. Since up to this time no in- 
formation was received as to the fate of Mr. Cookman, and the 
prospect of his return was well-nigh abandoned, she began to 
cast about for the best thing to be done for the immediate fut- 
ure. From the grandfather and kindred in England the most 
urgent requests were received that she should at once take her 
children to England. Indeed, they wrote as though there could 
be no other course open to her. They were well able to pro- 
vide for them, and her pecuniary means were exceedingly limit- 
ed. Nothing would have been more natural than for Mrs. 



THE FAMILY SETTLES IN BALTIMORE. 89 

Cookman to accept this offer — alone as she was among com- 
parative strangers, with no relatives near, and knowing, as she 
did, that the resources at Hull were so ample ; but she decided 
not to go. She had left home for life ; her children had been 
born in America, and Americans they should be reared. " She 
would take two small rooms, and keep them all together around 
her, rather than all or any part of them should return to En- 
gland." Such w 7 as the language this heroic lady held to her 
friends across the water, and nothing could move her from her 
purpose. Mr. John Plaskitt, an Englishman residing in Balti-- 
more City, and long known as the head of the firm of Plaskitt & 
Armstrong, booksellers and stationers, a prominent Methodist, 
and an intimate friend of the husband, with other gentlemen, 
rented a small house on Mulberry Street, near the Eutaw Street 
Methodist Church ; and to it the family removed in the autumn. 

Mrs. Cookman and Alfred united with the Eutaw Street 
Church. The children who were old enough were entered at the 
Eutaw Street Sunday-school, and also at day schools. Alfred, at 
different times for the next few years, was under the instruction 
of Messrs. Robert H. Pattison, Perley R. Lovejoy, and John H. 
Dashiell — all recently students of Dickinson College — and of a 
Mr. Burleigh. At Mr. Burleigh's school on one occasion he 
took several prizes — for elocution, an essay on simplicity, exer- 
cises in Latin, etc. He began thus early to attract attention as 
a speaker and writer. Mr. Robert Armstrong, then superin- 
tendent of the Eutaw Street Sunday-school, noticed his apti- 
tude for public speaking, and was accustomed to put him up to 
address the boys' department of the school. His first original 
declamation was on the American Indian, in which the richness 
of his fancy and the force and gracefulness of his elocution were 
already apparent. 

The following letter from the grandfather shows the truly 
parental solicitude with which he regarded the widow and the 
children of his late son ; and the reply from Alfred affords us 



9° 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



an example of his dutifulness, and some account of his doings 
and progress. 

From Mr. George Cookman, of Hull, to Alfred, his grandson : 

" Hull, April 5, 1842. 

" My dear Alfred, — I received three days ago the letter of your dear 
mother, sent off in February, and had a fearful presentiment of her recent 
affliction, as her letter of the 27th of December never came to hand. I am, 
however, very thankful that she is so much recovered ; and I trust, as the 
spring advances, she will regain her wonted health. I am quite as well as I 
can expect to be at my advanced age, and feel a most lively interest in the 
comfort and happiness of your dear family. I look to you, my dear Alfred, 
as an important coadjutor with your dear mother in forming the habits and 
character of your family ; and it gives me inexpressible pleasure to learn, 
from your dear mother's letter, that there is every reason to hope that my 
expectations in this respect will be fully realized. Rest assured that you will 
be looked up to by the younger branches of the family, and in setting them 
a good example — in cheerfully obliging your dear mother, in promptly and 
affectionately obeying her commands, and in sympathizing with her under 
the pressure of family trials and bereavements — you will greatly lighten her 
burdens, alleviate her sufferings, and minister, in no inconsiderable degree, 
to her peace, comfort, and happiness. 

"I hope you pay unremitting attention to your education. Your dear 
father, when about your age, was very attentive and diligent in the cultiva- 
tion of his mind ; he read much, and kept a commonplace-book, into which 
he copied from the authors which he read such passages as he thought the 
most striking, either as to sentiment or language ; and by adopting this 
plan he very much improved his style in composition and his taste. He also 
began at the same time to write short essays on different subjects, as trials 
of his intellectual strength ; and resolutely struggled with and overcame 
those difficulties which, if not mastered, are often fatal to mental improve- 
ment. It was by his unremitting perseverance in these pursuits that he 
formed his graceful and chaste style of composition, and which in after-life 
enabled him to write with such facility and dispatch. 

" Allow me, my dear grandson, to urge you to follow the example of your 
dear departed father in the cultivation of your mind at this period of your 
life, for your future acquirements will very much depend upon an early de- 
velopment of your mental faculties. It was by adopting this course that 
your dear uncle Alfred became so distinguished, both at home among his 
friends, as well as when he was a student at the University. I trust their 



DUTIFUL SENTIMENTS. 



9 I 



mantle will fall upon you, my dear boy, and that you will emulate their tal- 
ents and virtues — and like them secure the respect and admiration of your 
friends, and largely contribute to the happiness of mankind. I am glad to 
find that the portrait of your dear father is, upon the whole, as good as could 
be expected under all the circumstances in which we were placed ; we did 
our best to get it as faithful and correct a likeness as we possibly could ; and 
many of his friends here, judging of him by what he was when he left En- 
gland, think it a striking likeness. We should, however, have been better 
pleased if the portrait had been more perfect. The Rev. Mr. Suddards 
dined with me on the 31st of March, and has been most obligingly kind in 
giving us every important information in his power, both with regard to your 
dear father, and all the members of your dear family. I feel under great 
obligations to him for the sympathy and affectionate regard which he has so 
uniformly and generously manifested, both to the memory of my late dear 
son and also to his family. I owe him a debt of gratitude which I can never 
pay — but our good Lord, I trust, will reward him a hundred-fold for his 
work of faith and labor of love in behalf of our family. 

" You will please to give my kind love to your dear mother, to George, 
and all the younger branches of your family ; give dear little Mary a kiss for 
her grandfather." 

From Alfred to his grandfather : 

" Baltimore, August 27, 1842. 

"My dear Grandfather,— Your letter has remained unanswered 
longer than I had intended when it was first received. The reason why I 
did not answer it sooner was because I was very much engaged with my 
school duties, and during my vacation, when I might have written, I was in 
Washington. I hope you will excuse me. 

" Mother has been improving in her health since last March. She has 
not been as well as usual for two weeks past. She is quite a miracle to her- 
self and to all her friends, to be able to do what she does, considering how 
feeble she was. The warm weather always agrees better with her than the 
cold. 

" I thank you for the kind advice which you give me in your letter. 
Rest assured, my dear grandfather, that it shall always be my first aim to 
comply with the wishes of dear mother, and in every way in my power to 
make her happy, for I deeply appreciate the obligations I am under to her : 
in sickness and health, she is always the same tender, kind, and affectionate 
mother. I am very much pleased with the plan you gave me of my dear 
father's method of improvement. I shall try to pursue it, but with how 
much success I know not. I have been in the habit of writing short essays 



9 2 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



on different subjects, and have found it very improving. I have been spend- 
ing my vacation in Washington, and had an opportunity of attending the de- 
bates of Congress. I also attended a camp-meeting about sixteen miles 
from Washington. There were about one hundred and thirty tents on the 
ground, and about one hundred persons professed to be converted. We 
had a delightful time. I enjoyed myself very much. 

"The treaty with Lord Ashburton has been amicably settled, and the 
people generally seem pleased. I got a sight of him one day in his carriage. 

" I am connected here with the Sabbath-school. I have a class of eight 
small boys, whom I take a great delight in teaching. I am also connected 
with the McKendrean Juvenile Missionary Society, who have appointed me 
secretary. I am also secretary of the Asbury Juvenile Temperance Society 
of Baltimore. So you see I have plenty to do. 

" The temperance cause is making rapid strides in this city and elsewhere. 
The Hon. T. F. Marshall, who is a reformed drunkard, has become one of 
its most powerful advocates. He is a man of fine talents, and excels as a 
public speaker. My brothers are all well. I wish, my dear grandfather, 
we could all see you and you could see us, and give us your valuable advice 
in person. We often look at your likeness hanging on the wall, and try to 
bring you before us. I hope you will continue your correspondence with me 
occasionally, and suggest plans that I may profit by. I resume my school 
duties to-morrow, for which I am very glad. I shall try to make the best 
of my time now, for I suppose I shall soon have to turn my attention to 
business. Mother says the next year will probably be my last for regular 
study. * * * 

Here also are letters of a year later from George and Al- 
fred to their grandfather. They were written on one sheet of 
paper, and already exhibit the dawn of that loving brotherhood 
which grew with their growth in maturer years. Pretty plucky 
American boys, to write thus of Independence day to their En- 
glish sire ! Like many others, our young orator began fairly 
to fledge on the Fourth of July. 

From George to his grandfather : 

" Baltimore, July 27, 1843. 
" My dear Grandfather, — I have for some time past been wondering 
how I could make a letter interesting to you, and now I think I have sue- • 
ceeded in gaining my object. In the first place, I wish to tell you how we 
spent the 4th of July, the anniversary of our country's independence. The 



THE FOURTH OF JULY ORATOR. 



93 



Sunday-school to which we belong assembled about 7 o'clock in the morn- 
ing, and started from the 'school-house. We arrived at the place of desti- 
nation about 8 o'clock. It was a beautiful grove, about a mile from the 
city. Our exercises commenced with singing and prayer, after which the 
children played for about an hour. We then again met at the stand, and, 
after singing and prayer, the Declaration of Independence was read. Al- 
fred, who was the orator of the day, rose and spoke an original oration. 
There were several addresses and dialogues by the boys. We had a plen- 
tiful repast, and about 4 o'clock returned to the city, highly delighted by the 
exercises of the day. Alfred gave us some very good advice on patriotism, 
temperance, and duty to parents, and various other subjects. He was highly 
applauded for his youthful effort. At an exhibition of his school about a 
week ago, six judges awarded him the first prize for declamation. Our school 
broke up last Friday for the August holidays. I expect to start for the 
country in a day or two, where I hope to have a fine time in the various 
amusements of the country. I wish mother would move in the country 
rather than live in a crowded city. 

" Your affectionate grandson, 

"George Cookman." 

From Alfred to his grandfather : 

"Baltimore, July 27, 1843. 
" My dear Grandfather, — At the request of dear mother, I purpose 
writing you a short letter on matters and things in general. For the last 
month I have had my time very much occupied in writing, committing, and 
delivering speeches, which I do assure you is no very easy task. On the 
4th of July last, at the request of the teachers of the Eutaw Sabbath- 
school, I assembled with them in a most delightful grove, for the purpose 
of addressing them on the very interesting theme of the emancipation of our 
beloved America from the weight of British laws and British subjection — of 
the glorious 4th of July, 1776, when we declared ourselves a free and inde- 
pendent people, and to which day every true American ought to recur with 
feelings of veneration and patriotism. After numerous addresses and a 
plentiful repast, the children repaired to their respective homes highly de- 
lighted ; and their only complaint was that the 4th of July did not come 
often enough for them. During the past year I have been going to a Mr. 
Burleigh's school, and have devoted almost all my time to the study of the 
ancient and modern languages. I think that the last year has added very 
much to my stock of information on various subjects. On the 20th of July 
Mr. Burleigh had an exhibition. About twenty-three of his scholars took 
part in the exercises ; eight of that number had original speeches. I chose, 



94 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



as the subject of my remarks, " Simplicity." I also delivered a short speech 
in French. After the speaking was over, the premiums were awarded to 
those deserving of them in the different classes. I received a handsome 
silver goblet, a small but neat silver cup, and two most interesting books. 
Our audience consisted of about fourteen hundred persons, who left the hall 
extremely gratified with the exercises. About three months ago a number 
of moral and intellectual youths formed themselves into a society for the 
purpose of self-improvement. Myself and George have the honor to be of 
the number. We meet every Friday evening. Our exercises consist of 
composition, declamation, and debate. Already do I find the good that ac- 
crues to me from being connected with this association ; the misty clouds 
of ignorance which before gathered around me are beginning to disperse 
before the genial rays of the sun of science, and I trust before long to walk 
in the broad daylight of learning and intelligence. The influenza is raging 
to a very great extent in the city. Scarcely can you enter a house but some 
of the inmates are not suffering with it. * * * We are very anxious for 
mother to move into the country a short distance, say one and a half or 
two miles. We see every day more and more the demoralizing influence of 
crowded cities in bringing up youth, and particularly so in Baltimore. I 
have not been in any city or town, nor do I believe there is any, where the 
youth are so depraved in their character and vicious in their habits as in 
Baltimore. * * * But I am getting beyond my bounds. Tell cousin George 
R. I should be glad to hear from him." 

I have before me a copy of the Fourth of July oration. It is 
creditable alike to the head and the heart of its youthful author. 
It is well conceived and well expressed, showing the elevation 
of thought and principle, the patriotic and religious fire which 
thus early animated him. In the same composition-book, in 
his neat handwriting, are translations from the Greek and Latin, 
and original essays, which give evidence of a vigorous intellect 
already well advanced in culture. 



CHAPTER VI. 

ALFRED, THE CHRISTIAN WORKER. ESSAYS AT PREACHING. 

Harmoniously with his intellectual progress, Alfred's moral 
and spiritual character was also growing. Mrs. Cookman, to 
satisfy her own yearnings for usefulness, to gratify the inces- 
sant demands for her counsel and society, and to obtain relief 
for her mind by activity, was much from home. She literally 
went about doing good — visiting the sick, needy, and penitent, 
attending social and religious meetings ; and thus her heart 
was diverted, in a measure, from her great sorrow, and she was 
able to maintain a degree of health and cheerfulness. All this 
while Alfred was a keeper at home. He would urge her out, 
and volunteer to remain and take care of the children. Of an 
evening he could be seen, with his little brothers surrounding a 
large table, superintending their studies, helping them forward 
in their next day's tasks. Oftentimes the mother would return 
home weary, and she would say, "Come, children, we must have 
prayers before we go to bed and the quick response would 
be, " Mother, we have had prayers ; Alfred has held prayers 
with us." At this age he showed habits of system and neat- 
ness which always followed him. His little room was a pink 
of tidiness ; his bed, his books, his table, his clothes, all were 
kept in the nicest order, and he punctually observed the hours 
of coming and going assigned him by his mother. Could a 
better testimony be given to a son than the following from the 
pen of his mother ? 

"There are very few who could fully estimate the love and 
sympathy of such a mere youth as Alfred was when I was left 



96 



EIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



without the strong arm I had been accustomed to lean upon. 
He turned at once into the path of a wise and steady coun- 
selor, both to myself as well as to his brothers. He tried to 
share every burden and supply every loss which an apparent 
adverse Providence had laid upon us. In the deep anguish of 
a stricken heart, he would say, ' Dear mother, let the event be 
as it may, it is all right, and will turn out for the best ; our 
heavenly Father disposes of all events, and He can not err in 
any of His dealings with His children.' Alfred did almost ex- 
clusively direct and control the studies of his brothers, unite 
with them in their various pursuits, and guard them from influ- 
ences that might have been prejudicial but for his timely warn- 
ings ; and yet there was no austerity in his admonitions ; a 
spirit of consideration and kindness ever marked his efforts. 
He was remarkably constant in the path of obedience both to- 
ward God and in his Church relations. His class-meeting was 
never neglected. His attendance at the Sabbath-school, first as 
a scholar and then as a teacher, was constant ; and so marked 
was his conduct as to induce the superintendent to request him 
to address his youthful companions on the importance of yield- 
ing their hearts to the blessed Saviour, and this before he was 
fifteen years of age." 

Although he was naturally thoughtful, and the care prema- 
turely devolved upon him tended to sadden his spirits, it must 
not be inferred that he was at all gloomy or despondent. On 
the contrary, he was one of the liveliest of boys, full of fun and 
cheerful gayety; he was always ready for a gambol with his 
brothers and his neighbors. He was a great favorite with his 
young companions. Known to be a ready writer, nothing was 
more common than for all the girls around to wish him to write 
their valentines. 

The first public religious exercise which Alfred conducted 
was " to lead a class-meeting," when about sixteen years of age. 
A Mr. Childs had requested him to lead his class. The class 



CHARLES STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 97 



met in a private house. The mother, in her great desire to 
hear him conduct it without embarrassing him by her presence, 
concealed herself behind a side stair-way, and so listened to all 
the exercises. His opening hymn, which he read and sang, 

WaS ' "Talk with us, Lord." 

After a struggle of two years, Mrs. Cookman received the 
blessing of the perfect love of God, which removed her de- 
spondency and restored her former cheerfulness. While com- 
muning at Eutaw Street Church, the Holy Spirit applied Christ's 
words, " His blood was shed for thee," with such force and 
sweetness as to fill her soul with peace, and to give her com- 
plete victory over all her fears. Henceforth she walked in the 
light of the Lord. This occurrence was very important, not 
only for herself, but also for the active work she was doing in 
the churches, and most of all for the duties which she owed to her 
family. In 1844 the new and beautiful Charles Street Methodist 
Episcopal Church was dedicated. The trustees cordially offered 
Mrs. Cookman a pew, and the family found a warm welcome in 
the bosom of this young Church, under the pastoral care of 
the Rev. Edwin Dorsey, M.D. To be more convenient to the 
church, they removed to a house on Lexington Street. In the 
associations here Alfred's activity rapidly developed. His tal- 
ents and piety were soon recognized, and he found every en- 
couragement to their exercise. 

Early in this year Alfred and George received a letter from 
their grandfather. It is so good that I can not refrain from in- 
serting it entire. 

From the grandfather Cookman to Alfred and George : 

" Hull, Stepney Lodge, January 27, 1844. 
" My dear Alfred and George, — I received with more than ordinary 
pleasure your letters of the 27th of July, and in reading them I could scarce- 
ly persuade myself but that time, by some mysterious revolution, had thrown 
back my life for at least five-and-twenty years, and that I was again read- 

E 



98 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ing the pleasing letters of dear Alfred and George, my beloved sons. But, 
alas ! the spell was soon broken by the painful recollections of the past. I 
am, however, delighted with your letters. The handwriting is very good ; 
the composition, for your ages, is of a superior order ; and, if you continue 
to prosecute your studies and exercises with unremitting perseverance, I 
have no doubt but you will, in your day, be the fac-similes of those whose 
endearing names you bear. * * * Let me entreat you, my dear grandchil- 
dren, to minister in every way in your power to the tranquillity, comfort, 
and happiness of a mother whose maternal care and solicitude for the wel- 
fare of her family have been as unremitting as her love has been pure and 
ardent. I was delighted to hear of your attainments as scholars, and of the 
very handsome manner in which your exercises were received by the audi- 
ence at your public exhibition. You have, by these successful efforts, se- 
cured a prominent position in the estimation of the public; and if you should 
conclude from this circumstance that you may now relax your efforts in the 
prosecution of your studies, this elevation will be but the precursor of your 
fall. It is not enough to be considered the first among boys : you must 
look forward and aspire to be the first among your citizens. But this can 
not be attained but by unremitting industry. Decision of character is there- 
fore indispensable in all important undertakings, and I have no doubt of 
your ultimate success if you are determined to excel. You are, I hope, pro- 
ceeding with your learning in a systematic and methodical order, and mak- 
ing yourselves thoroughly masters of one branch of science before you enter 
upon another. This is indispensable, as this is the basis of all after-im- 
provements in learning. 

" I am glad to find that you have become members of a literary society, 
and have no doubt but it will be of great service to you. Your dear father 
and uncle had the same privilege, and they often surprised me by the papers 
they produced and the speeches they delivered on the questions discussed 
at their weekly meetings. Mixing with members of superior acquirements, 
they obtained a great increase of knowledge, and also obtained an easy and 
graceful mode of public speaking. There is, however, some danger growing 
out of these institutions, against which I would most urgently caution you. 
The questions for discussion have seldom any connection with each other, 
and this necessarily induces a desultory and careless course of reading and 
of thought. Now the danger to be apprehended is this : that you will seek 
applause in the forum rather than in the academy, and fall into a dislike of 
the study of those dryer branches of learning which require greater mental 
application and labor, and the mastery of which is essential to your becom- 
ing proficients in sound learning. Above all things of this life, seek first 



A POLITICAL CANVASS. 



99 



the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and leave the rest to the good 
pleasure of your Heavenly Father." * * * 

From Alfred to his grandfather Cookman : 

" Baltimore, March 22, 1845. 

" My dear Grandfather, — This day's mail has brought to hand a let- 
ter from Aunt Mary Ann, which has been the first to break the long-con- 
tinued silence which has reigned for some months. In the perusal of her 
letter we were not a little gratified to learn that you still enjoy your accus- 
tomed health, and are able to attend to all the concerns of domestic life. 
Believing that it would afford you pleasure to hear from us, I have sat down 
and will write a few lines on what we would call the leading topics of the 
day. 

" Well, in what condition are we as a country ? What have we done, 
and what are we doing ? I think we may with propriety be compared to 
the ocean : we have had the storm, and now the calm is beginning to suc- 
ceed. For the last few months we have as a nation been torn with party 
strife, for from the tiny school-boy as well as the gray-headed old man have 
been heard sentiments, together with enthusiastic shouts, in honor of some 
favorite partisan. Meetings have been held frequently at which vast con- 
courses of people have assembled, and where the talent of the country have 
been present to display their forensic powers. However, although I am fa- 
vorable to party spirit where it can be kept within bounds, believing that it 
tends to keep alive a spirit of inquiry in the minds of the people in regard 
to those subjects connected with their country's welfare, yet when it reaches 
the height which it has here, and is productive of the same direful results, 
I, for one, would say, ' Subdue, and silence it.' It has been prostituted to 
the worst purposes. Men who have stood in our council-chambers, ever 
ready to second any effort that would conduce to the prosperity of the na- 
tion, and who, in very many instances, have been the originators of noble 
and useful measures, have had their characters defamed and their spotless 
reputations sullied and disgraced. But the evils of party spirit have not 
ended here. There has been the greatest amount of betting : thousands 
have been swallowed up in this greedy vortex, and, among a certain class 
of our citizens, that man who would bet the greatest amount has been con- 
sidered a noble-hearted, generous fellow. At the large meetings of which 
I have spoken liquor has been used, occasioning drunkenness and riot. All 
these evils combined have presented to the virtuous and patriotic mind a 
sad and mournful picture. 

" But the contest is over ; the combatants have withdrawn from the field 
of party strife, and the champion of the victorious party has been awarded 



IOO 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



the title of the President of the United States. All the various portions of 
society are beginning to turn their attention again to their daily avocations, 
and are bending all the energies of their minds toward amassing money or 
something else. 

" The main question which now agitates our country is the subject of 
slavery. Not content with harassing us in our civil institutions, it has en- 
tered the borders of our Zion, and will, in all probability, effect a division. 
At our late session of Congress it was decreed to annex Texas to our Union. 
This, lying to the south of our Republic, and being itself a slave country, 
will be connected with Southern interests, who (the South) may insist on 
measures which may prove detrimental to the North, who, in turn, retali- 
ating, may bring on that most-to-be-dreaded of all evils — civil war. Oh, 
grandfather, I regard the measure of Congress, in this point of view, as high- 
ly reprehensible. I believe that it will cast a dark stain on the fair escutch- 
eon of our liberties, and that eventually it may prove the breaker on which 
the proud ship of state may be wrecked. 

" In the Church a difficulty has arisen — whether it is in harmony with the 
spirit of Methodism for a bishop, who is called to all parts of the Union, to 
be the possessor of human property ; and at the late session of the General 
Conference much time was spent on this question, which was finally decided 
in the negative. This decision has so enraged the Southern portion of the 
Church that they have declared that they will not submit to this (as they 
would term it) arbitrary measure, and they have called a General Confer- 
ence, to be held in May next, to take steps toward division. What it will 
end in is for the future to develop. I trust that the Great Head of the 
Church will rule all things well ; that He will adjust these difficulties, and 
bring all things to a happy termination. I had intended when I commenced 
my letter to be rather egotistic; but ideas on the subjects which I have al- 
luded to have multiplied, and I have just recorded them. My next shall be 
more about myself and family. As we boys are accustomed to say, "tempus 
et spatium'' fail me, and I must close." 

The reader of these pages will readily forgive our young 
friend for his want of "egotism" in this letter, since more of 
him, as an observer of his times, is seen than any merely per- 
sonal narrative could have given. It is evident that he was 
thoroughly alive to the stirring events of those days, in which 
party strife, both in State and Church, had reached the pitch 
that already foreboded the calamities into which the whole 
country was soon precipitated. 



PATRIOTISM. FIRST EVANGELISTIC EFFORTS. IOI 

Thus at the age of seventeen he evinced a familiarity with 
public movements, a close sympathy with the welfare of the na- 
tion, and of the Church to which he belonged, which never for- 
sook him. From this time onward he could be no indifferent 
citizen of the State or member of the Church. It was not in 
the nature of a soul so thoroughly human, and so richly imbued 
with the Master's spirit, to be a passive cipher in the midst of 
such active forces as those into which he was bora and in which 
he grew up. It has been conjectured, in a most graphic deline- 
ation of his father, that the stirring, warlike spirit of Europe in 
the beginning of the nineteenth century, at the period of the 
father's birth, had much to do with his martial spirit as an 
orator. A heart more responsive to the weal of the nation and 
to the weal of the Church never throbbed than beat in the 
breast of Alfred Cookman ; nor has there arisen among us a 
public man, whether in the pulpit or out of it, whose character 
was more affected by the reflected influence of these two ob- 
jects. To those who knew so well the genuineness of his pa- 
triotism, and the unselfish zeal of his Methodism in later years, 
it is no unpleasant matter to get the peep at the early dawn of 
these two great passions which is afforded us by this letter. 
How like the temper of the perfected man, the sentiment, " I 
trust that the Great Head of the Church will rule all things well ; 
that He will adjust these difficulties, and bring all things to a 
happy termination." 

About this time, the year 1845, Alfred entered distinctively 
upon his evangelistic career ; not, however, as a preacher, but 
as an earnest worker in Sabbath-school and missionary effort. 
A band of young men, most of whom were connected with the 
Charles Street Church, formed a mission to the seamen and 
poor children who frequented the upper docks of the harbor in 
Baltimore. Their hearts were touched with pity as they saw the 
large number of sailors, most of whom were confined to vessels 
doing business wholly in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, and 



102 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



who were back and forth very often, entirely destitute of the 
means of religious improvement. They first rented a small 
room at the head of Frederick Street Dock. This proving too 
limited, they removed to a more commodious and eligibly lo- 
cated one on Pratt Street, at the head of the Upper Basin. It was 
not the first time that Methodism began a good work in a " Sail 
Loft." The old Sail Loft, christened " the City Bethel," was the 
scene of the zealous labors of these devout young men on Sun- 
days and week-day evenings. Alfred was the youngest among 
them, but not least in graces and gifts. He was so powerfully 
affected by the " Bethel Fraternity," then and always for the 
shape and for the friendships it gave him, and those who con- 
stituted this band of generous youths have since come to such 
repute, and the immediate object for which they labored has 
come to such stability, that I offer from the pen of the Rev. T. 
H. Switzer, the first pastor of the City Bethel, a circumstantial 
account of the matter : 

" The Baltimore City Bethel was the second organization of 
the kind in the city, its object was to reach sailors, watermen, 
and neglected children, who loitered about the wharfs on the 
Sabbath-day. It was called City Bethel to distinguish it from 
the Sailors' Union Bethel, of Fell's Point, Baltimore. 

" The first Seamens' Bethel had been organized many years 
previous, chiefly by aged and experienced Christians of differ- 
ent denominations. The City Bethel was the point of youthful 
devotion to the cause of Christ. A number of young men, 
aided by a few older brethren, with a commendable zeal and 
desire to do good, began to inquire what could be done for Sab- 
bath-breaking boatmen and neglected indigent children ; im- 
pelled by the same influence that moved the primitive preach- 
ers and reformers, they went out looking up the poor, neglect- 
ed, and abandoned, and inviting them to a Sabbath-school and 
place of worship. The first year the society conducted its own 
meetings, assisted occasionally by a local or itinerant minister; 



THE CITY BETHEL MISSION. 



I03 



the Sabbath afternoons were devoted to experience meetings, 
where many testified to the goodness of God in saving them 
from the jaws of death and hell. At these meetings many were 
convicted and led to seek the Saviour. The place of worship 
was a room about twenty feet broad and forty or fifty feet deep, 
situated at the head of and overlooking the City Basin. 

"In less than a year it was entirely too small to accommodate 
those who attended the Sabbath-schools and divine worship, 
and the society' purchased and fitted up the old time-honored 
ship William Penn, capable of accommodating six hundred per- 
sons. Rev. J. A. Collins, presiding elder of the Baltimore Dis- 
trict, assisted by other ministers, dedicated this ship to the serv- 
ice of God. The Bethel was safely moored in the Basin, its 
flag waving from the mast-head, and service was held three 
times on the Sabbath. The Bethel, though not a denomina- 
tional institution, was chiefly managed by the young men of our 
Church ; class-meetings were held regularly during the week, led 
by the pastor; Sabbath morning and evening the pulpit was fill- 
ed by the preacher in charge, in the afternoon his place was 
supplied by ministers of different denominations — Dr. J. Morris 
(Lutheran), Dr. Johns (Episcopal), Dr. Kurtz (Lutheran), Dr. 
E. Y. Reese (Protestant Methodist), and others, participating in 
the services. Prayer-meetings were held on one or two evenings 
of each week. From that old ship many a sailor carried a 
flame of love for Jesus into distant lands, and many whose call- 
ing was on land will bless God for what has been done for 
them through the instrumentality of the young men of this Beth- 
el. The members of the society held their membership in some 
one of the city stations, but most of them belonged to the 
Charles Street M. E. Church, then in charge of Dr. Dorsey. 

" I distinctly remember the names of Samuel Kramer, Ger- 
shom Broadbent, Robert Dryden, Thomas Dryden, William H. 
Chapman, Adam Wallace, John Landstreet, William Prettyman, 
Thomas Worthington, Brother Cristy, Brother Armstrong, C. 



104 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



J. Thompson, and Alfred Cookman. Brother Samuel Kramer 
deserves honorable mention in this connection ; he was the old- 
est member of the association, and a local preacher; he devoted 
much of his time and attention to the spiritual and financial 
interests of the society, and this interest he kept up for many 
years. Brother Alfred Cookman, although the youngest, was 
one of the most active and efficient members of the society ; at 
our regular monthly meetings to devise ways and means of ad- 
vancing the interests of the association, he was always present, 
and took part in our deliberations and discussions. In the Sab- 
bath-school, the experience meetings, and in the preaching of 
the Word, he manifested a lively interest. Soon after my ap- 
pointment to the charge, an incident occurred which brought 
him particularly under my notice. Thomas Dryden, son of 
Joshua Dryden, after a protracted illness, fell asleep in Jesus. 
His death was deeply lamented by the society. His example 
was bright while he lived, and his death was signally triumphant. 
The friends of the deceased and members of the organization re- 
quested Brother Cookman to prepare a funeral discourse, which 
he did, and delivered in the lecture-room of the Charles Street 
Church. This was Alfred's first sermon, then in his seven- 
teenth year. The discourse made a strong impression on the 
audience, and those present who are now living remember it to 
the present day. His call to the ministry was undoubted by 
those who heard him on that occasion. 

"The sermon was delivered with much feeling, his enunciation 
was distinct, his language chaste and impressive, his illustra- 
tions forcible and appropriate ; his pathetic allusions to the de- 
ceased touched the tender chords of the hearts of many present. 
Those who were familiar with his father's method, and the char- 
acter of his preaching, could not fail to discover in the younger 
Cookman traits that reminded them of that eminent minister 
of Christ, George G. Cookman. 

"Alfred Cookman was at that time modest and unobtrusive 



FIRST SERMON. — CALL TO PREACH. 105 

in manner, ardent in his feelings. His judgment was in ad- 
vance of his years, his imagination was vivid, and illustration 
was successfully employed in his themes. In person he was 
slender, and his genial countenance wore the cheerful glow of 
sunshine. 

" The Bethel ship was subsequently abandoned, but not until 
a good, substantial church edifice was erected on shore, within 
a few rods of the wharf where she had been moored. What- 
ever changes time shall develop in the history of this Bethel 
Church, its origin must be traced to the labors of these devoted 
sons of the prophets ; numbers now living, both laymen and 
ministers, remember with pleasure their connection with the 
City Bethel. With gratitude to God we allude to a number of 
these young men who became able ministers of the New Testa- 
ment, among whom are Robert Pattison, C. J.Thompson, Adam 
Wallace, John Landstreet, William Harden, William Chapman, 
and Alfred Cookman." 

The communication of Mr. Switzer has anticipated a little 
the fact which was to give direction to Alfred's future calling. 
From the incident of the funeral sermon, it is evident that an 
impression was already prevailing among his associates that he 
was " called to preach." His selection by those who knew him 
most intimately for so important a service for their departed 
associate, shows that they not only believed him called of God 
to preach, but also the high estimation in which they held both 
his talents and his piety. It was a great mark of respect to be 
put upon a youth of seventeen years. His text on the occasion 
was, " To die is gain." The general style and effect of the 
treatment have been described. The mind of the Church now 
distinctly pointed to him as a suitable person to preach the 
Gospel of Christ. The call to preach, among the Methodists, 
is regarded as a two-fold and simultaneous movement of the 
Holy Ghost upon the heart of the individual and upon the heart 
of the Church with which he is connected. However reserved 

E 2 



106 LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 

the person thus moved may be in withholding his impressions, 
the Church will be led, independently of any communication 
from him, to feel that he ought to take upon himself the office 
and work of the ministry. Many a young man who, in his 
modesty, has tried like Saul to hide himself among the stuff, ig- 
norant that any one suspected his struggles of soul, has been 
drawn out of his hiding-place and thrust forth into the work. 
Such, too, has not unfrequently stood head and shoulders above 
his brethren. 

The initial steps were taken in designating Alfred Cookman 
for the ministry November ist, 1845, when ne was licensed as 
an exhorter in the Methodist Episcopal Church by the official 
meeting of the Charles Street Station, Baltimore Conference, 
Edwin Dorsey preacher in charge. In less than a year from 
this time, on July 7th, 1846, he received from the Quarterly 
Conference of the same charge a license to preach, signed by 
the Rev. John A. Collins, as presiding elder. The preparation 
for the examination which he had to undergo before the Quar- 
terly Conference was made wholly by himself. It was conduct- 
ed very thoroughly by Mr. Collins, who, at its close, pronounced 
Alfred more proficient in the subjects comprised in the exam- 
ination than any young man who had ever come before him for 
license. He was at this time an assistant teacher in a private 
academy; his work was arduous and confining, his social and 
religious engagements numerous, so that he must have studied 
diligently to attain such a clear understanding of the Scriptural 
proofs of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. 

George G. Cookman had thus early a successor in the minis- 
try. Five years only had gone since the great light was quench- 
ed in the sea, and now in the person and office of the eldest 
born the work of illumination was to be continued. The deep 
emotions of the mother may be better imagined than expressed, 
as she saw her little Solomon recognized as God's chosen one, 
and designated by the Church to the great building to which 



THE REV. DR. ROBERTS. 



107 



she had so sincerely consecrated him in childhood. To such a 
mother this hour for her first born was cause for richer joy and 
juster pride than if she had seen him selected for an earthly 
throne, or as -the heir of the wealthiest man in the land. Of 
Alfred's own feelings at this important period of his career, but 
a limited statement is at command. In after years he made 
this reference to it: "At he age of eighteen I took up the silver 
trumpet which had fallen from the hand of my faithful father, 
and began to preach, in a very humble way, the everlasting 
Gospel." This allusion, and that found in the following letter 
to his grandfather, are enough to show the humility and earnest- 
ness with which he received the great commission. The letter 
also lets us into his anxious questionings as to his immediate 
future course. Its references to the late Rev. George C. M. 
Roberts, M.D., D.D., can not fail of grateful interest to the 
hosts of friends in Baltimore and elsewhere, who cherish with 
such affection and reverence the memory of that able and de- 
vout man. At once physician and local preacher, he ministered 
to the bodies and souls of thousands, and for the space of a 
quarter of a century wielded an influence in the community sec- 
ond to no other citizen. 

From Alfred to his grandfather Cookman : 

" Baltimore, July 7, 1846. 
" A favorable opportunity for transmitting you a few lines has presented 
itself, inasmuch as Dr. Roberts, one of the most respected and esteemed 
members of our community, is about to depart for England, with the design 
of attending the World's Convention. This gentleman is a member of the 
medical profession in our city ; in connection with this he is an official mem- 
ber in the Methodist Church, and has always evinced great zeal and energy 
in the promotion of every good and benevolent enterprise. I am sure that 
Baltimore possesses no son more highly esteemed and more generally loved 
than this brother, and it is on account of his noble and excellent qualities 
that he was unhesitatingly selected to represent the interests of what is 
termed " the city station " in this coming convention. He is a man of the 
deepest and most devoted piety, and an earnest anxiety for the prosperity 



io8 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



of Zion has prompted him to establish a Saturday- evening prayer-meeting, 
where Christians are accustomed to meet and pray, more especially for the 
sanctifying influences of God's spirit. At these meetings I have frequently 
been found, and have there eminently realized the presence of the King 
of kings and Lord of lords. I am sure you will be pleased with him. 
Possessed of a sweet, Christian-like spirit, affable and winning manners, and 
no small share of intellect, he secures for himself the affection and good- will 
of all with whom he is called to associate. 

" As you are aware, I have been engaged in teaching for the last twelve 
months. I have not realized those sanguine expectations that I indulged 
when I entered upon this arduous employment ; for I confidently hoped to 
do more in the improvement of my mind, while engaged in teaching, than I 
could possibly if my entire time were devoted to literary pursuits. I thought 
that, while instructing youths, I should effect a review of old studies, and 
that between schools I could devote myself to mental labor or literary ac- 
quisition ; but, alas ! alas ! my hopes have proved vain, and I have not 
reached that point in the hill of science whither my aspirations would have 
led me. The school in which I am engaged as assistant has been small, 
and made up principally of boys who were in the very first rudiments of 
science ; and day after day my duties have been to hear the little urchin re- 
peat his task either in spelling, geography, arithmetic* or some other minor 
branch, all of which it would be almost impossible to forget ; and thus I, of 
course, have not realized my first expectation. Althougkj:hese my scholars 
had progressed but little, though their attainments were but limited, I felt 
it to be my duty to devote myself with as much assiduity and energy to their 
improvement as if I had heard them every day recite an ode of Horace or 
a section of Homer. The consequence has been that, when after having 
performed my duties I have returned home and retired to my own study, I 
have experienced a general prostration of my entire system. My nerves 
have been unstrung, my energies paralyzed, and I have had no spirit to pro- 
ceed with study. I must not, I can not consistently say, that I have made 
no additions to my stock during the year. Many theological works I have 
carefully perused, and think that I am pretty well grounded in the funda- 
mentals of divinity. During the year I felt it to be my duty to assume a 
more responsible station, namely, that of a minister of the everlasting Gospel. 
Frequently I have stood up in the sacred desk to expound the oracles of 
God; and, in declaring the unsearchable riches of Christ, in dwelling upon 
the amazing love and infinite condescension of the Saviour in redemption, 
my own soul has been warmed, and I have realized that in dispensing the 
Gospel I receive much of Heaven's comfort. 



METHOD. — HUMILITY. — ACTIVITY. 



IO9 



" I have been seriously considering which would be the best course for 
me to pursue in the future. My engagements with Mr. L. will terminate in 
a few days, and I do not feel disposed to shackle myself for the coming year 
as I certainly have during the past. I have sought the counsel of some of my 
father's tried friends, as, for instance, Messrs. Hodgson, Durbin, Thompson, 
and others, and they advise me to enter the itinerant field, assuring me that 
I will not only have more time, but more disposition to study. I have calmly 
and dispassionately weighed this advice, and think it is good; that per- 
haps it would be to my advantage, in an intellectual point of view, as well as 
the consideration that, in the hands of God, I might be made useful." 

Alfred's mother, in referring to his habits at this date of his 
life, says, " He very early threw in his efforts (with others) to 
work among a class of degraded human beings, who were drunk- 
ards, and were almost taken out of the gutters. His young voice 
was often heard in denunciation and earnest entreaties for them 
to turn from sin and become new men in Christ Jesus. With 
what zeal and earnestness did he follow these poor outcasts ! 
Alfred was very exact in the distribution of his time. He had to 
depend, in a great measure, on his own efforts. He felt himself 
a fatherless youth, and had very ardent yearnings to acquire 
knowledge, and to prepare himself to fill a useful and honorable 
position in life. Thus he became a very diligent student in the 
various departments constituting a thorough scholar. In Latin, 
Greek, German, and French, he was very proficient, and his 
knowledge in the arts and sciences was considerable. Even at 
the age of twelve his father acknowledged he was farther ad- 
vanced in those branches than he was himself at the age of 
eighteen. Humility and timidity were two of his peculiar char- 
acteristics, which kept him from any thing like display or as- 
sumption." 

Subsequently to his license to preach, and before leaving 
Baltimore, he preached frequently. His friend, Mr. Samuel 
Kramer, a local preacher, would take him to his country ap- 
pointments contiguous to the city, and would have him supply 
for him. All the opportunities he could desire, and more per- 



IIO LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 

haps than was prudent for so young a beginner, were opened 
to him. His engagements were constantly up to the full meas- 
ure of his strength and his time. In the best pulpits of the 
city his services were accepted, and in the best society of 
the city his company was eagerly sought. The name he bore 
was hallowed to the people. They were prepared, for his fa- 
ther's and mother's sake, to listen to his words and to love 
his character. But he was every thing in himself that was at- 
tractive — one of the most engaging youths who ever stood in a 
sacred desk or moved among a circle of friends. There was a 
freshness and healthfulness of physique, an openness of physi- 
ognomy, a spiritual beauty, a ripeness of culture, a manifest 
piety, a gracefulness of movement, and a native eloquence which 
won all hearts ; and from this early day until his death there 
was no minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church who could 
draw together a larger crowd of ardent, admiring hearers in the 
city of Baltimore than Alfred Cookman. A halo invested him 
from the beginning to the end of his career. 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE YOUTHFUL PASTOR. — HIS FIRST CIRCUIT. 

But the time had now come when plans for the more regular 
and permanent exercise of his ministry began seriously to agi- 
tate him. We have already seen from his last letter that thoughts 
of a collegiate course had been entertained and discussed. It 
appears that the counsels of his father's closest friends were 
adverse to this, and favorable to an immediate entrance upon 
the itinerant ministry. 

The question may have come to others as to myself: Why 
did not Mrs. Cookman settle in Carlisle after the death of her 
husband, where she could have had for her sons the training 
of Dickinson College ? She had lived there — cherished many 
pleasant memories of the town and its people — had a scholar- 
ship of five hundred dollars — and it was proposed to her to go 
there ; but her health was too feeble to allow it. When resid- 
ing there she was nearly disabled by the climate, and she could 
not venture to live in it again. Why, then, did she not send 
Alfred ? Simply because her purpose was fixed not to separate 
her children while they were in process of education. She 
wished them all at home, and at that time she needed Alfred 
as really as he needed her. She thought and acted for herself 
in the matter. She was afraid to trust her boy at college away 
from her, and since she could not accompany him, it was decided 
he must do the best he could with such facilities as Baltimore 
afforded. Mrs. Cookman honored learning much, but she rev- 
erenced goodness more. She may have taken counsel of her 
fears, but the wisdom of her decision none can presume to ques- 
tion till the records of the son's life are unfolded in eternity. 



112 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Certainly the results of his ministry are not such as to leave 
room for many regrets on the ground of greater possible useful- 
ness. What he was we know ; what he might have been with 
the influences of the broader culture which comes of the studies 
and associations of the college we can not fully conjecture. A 
more liberal education, prosecuted at greater length, would 
probably have rendered him different, in some respects, from 
what he was as a man and as a preacher, but it is extremely 
doubtful if it could have rendered him more intense in his per- 
sonal and ministerial influence. In the cry for scholars, we are 
too apt to forget that it is not so much ideas as their applica- 
tion ; not so much new truths as the practice of old truths ; not 
so much thinkers as actors — men of deeds — that the great world 
needs. A man to move and mould the people must be a man 
of positive convictions, be the circle of his knowledge never so 
small, rather than a critical investigator. 

Alfred Cookman was capable of becoming a scholar of a high 
order, but he chose to narrow the sphere of his studies to the 
subjects which nourished his own soul satisfactorily, which he 
felt would make him most useful as a pastor, and it was the thor- 
oughness with which his intellect grasped these, and the hearti- 
ness with which he believed them, that gave him in his domain 
so marked an ascendency over the minds of the people. So that 
I am frank to acknowledge that if a collegiate education (taking 
education in its multiplex sense) would have made his ministry 
different from what it was, I can scarcely see how it could have 
made it more useful. I fear the contrary might have been the re- 
sult. Upon the whole, it is quite safe to assume, where the sin- 
cerest efforts are made by those who have the shaping of Christ's 
chosen instruments, that their course is about such as God or- 
ders, and in the outcome is the best for them and for His Church. 

The point being settled that the young evangelist should at 
once make full proof of his ministry by entering the regular pas- 
torate, the next question for decision was, "What conference 



REASONS FOR REMOVING TO PHILADELPHIA. 113 

shall he join?" Some of his friends urged him strongly to 
seek admission into the Baltimore Conference, while others as 
strongly urged the advantages of the Philadelphia. It would 
have been natural for him to remain where he was, but the rea- 
sons for going to Philadelphia were controlling. His former 
and much-beloved teacher, the Rev. Robert Pattison, had joined 
that conference ; several of his young associates, such as Charles 
J. Thompson and Adam Wallace, preferred it ; his father had 
first united with it, and he wished, as far as possible, to follow 
in his footsteps. 

But, as usual, the mother's judgment turned the scales. There 
were better schools and better opportunities of business in Phil- 
adelphia, and Pennsylvania was a free state. Her repugnance to 
slavery made her adverse to rearing her children in contact with 
it. There was another consideration which weighed with her 
possibly more than all others : she felt the time had come when 
she must give herself more fully to the care of her children. So 
numerous and pressing were her social and religious engage- 
ments, that she found it quite impossible to impart the instruc- 
tion and sympathy which their increasing years demanded. She 
was expected to be prominent in every benevolent movement of 
the ladies, to attend all their prayer-meetings, to be present at 
their social entertainments — indeed, to be foremost in every 
good word and work, and with only very, limited means at her 
command ; to superintend personally a large family of children, 
all of whom were boys but the youngest — these must be para- 
gons of neatness, propriety, and intelligence — and she must be 
universal mother and sister in the fellowship of joy and in the 
fellowship of pain to all who needed her counsel or sought her 
sympathy. It could not be : she must go back again to the old 
position, when she elected to fashion men rather than to be a 
missionary. While, therefore, her heart was deeply attached to 
Baltimore and to its loving, noble Christians, she determined 
that, for her family's sake, she must cut herself loose from their 



ii4 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



companionship, and seek, in another city and amid new scenes, 
to enter upon a course of more exclusive devotion to home 
nurture. 

Early in the autumn of 1846 the household goods were stored 
in a canal-boat and shipped to Philadelphia. The family soon 
followed, and within a few weeks were snugly at housekeeping 
on Race Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Streets. Alfred 
had already been requested by the Rev. James McFarland, 
presiding elder of one of the Philadelphia districts, to supply 
the place of Rev. D. D. Lore, who had been appointed mission- 
ary to Buenos Ayres, on Attleboro Circuit, Bucks County, under 
the charge of the Rev. James Hand. He accepted the invita- 
tion, and so soon as the family were settled, and he had pro- 
cured the necessary outfit, he started for the "appointment." 
His horse he named " Gery," in honor of his friend Gershom 
Broadbent of Baltimore. Gery became a great pet with him 
and with all the brothers and the little sister. Alfred and Gery 
were much talked about at home, and their joint arrival on a 
visit was henceforth hailed as the brightest day which could 
dawn on Philadelphia. Many were the caresses which Gery got 
from little Mary, and George, Frank, Will, and John were not 
slow to test the mettle of their brother's faithful companion. 

It was a proud hour when the young preacher, leaving his 
mother's door, with her blessing on his head and her warm kiss 
upon his lips, springing into his saddle, hied away over the hills 
to his first pastoral charge. What a pang it must have cost him 
to part with that loving parent, to leave brothers and sister, 
who had clung to him as a father, and to go off among total 
strangers! But though young, and sensitive even to feminine 
delicacy, he had the hopes of youth to cheer him. His heart 
was full of zeal for the Master's glory, and the romantic inter- 
est which belongs to an earnest nature in the first commence- 
ment of a chosen and chivalrous career. On the mother's part, 
his devotement to the work was one of pure self-sacrifice ; and 



his mother's parting advice. 115 

as she saw him ride away, in the first act which was forever to 
take him from her roof, the light went out of her eyes and the joy 
from her heart. But she made the surrender cheerfully, thank- 
ing God that He had " counted him worthy— putting him into 
the ministry." She. could not, however, let him go without sal- 
utary advice — advice which he never forgot, and which became 
a watch-cry in his ministry. Here is his reference to the occa- 
sion : " Quitting about this time one of the happiest of homes 
to enter the itinerant work, my excellent mother remarked just 
upon the threshold of my departure, ' My son, if you would be 
supremely happy or extremely useful in your work, you must be 
an entirely sanctified servant of Jesus.' It was a cursory sug- 
gestion, perhaps forgotten almost as soon as expressed ; never- 
theless, applied by the Spirit, it made the profoundest impres- 
sion upon my mind and heart. Oh, the value of single sen- 
tences which any one may utter in the ordinary intercourse of 
life ! Sermons and exhortations are frequently forgotten, while 
the wish or counsel simply and precisely expressed will abide, 
to lead us into clearer light. Let this fact, which will find an 
illustration in many experiences, serve to stimulate and encour- 
age even the feeblest to speak for Jesus. My mother's passing 
but pointed remark followed me like a good angel as I moved 
to and fro in my first sphere of itinerant life." 

To Alfred the parting advice of his mother seemed only like 
a cursory remark, but it was cursory only in its natural and 
unstudied utterance. Such counsel dropped from her lips as 
the ripe fruit at a chance moment from the tree, or sweetness 
exhales from the flower. " The best thoughts do not come to 
us except gradually." This thought of Mrs. Cookman was the 
condensed experience of years, and, packed in a single maxim, 
it fell gently into the ear and heart of the son. In this seed- 
truth was germinally the whole substance and form of what she 
meant and wished his life to be — the utmost usefulness and 
happiness as branches, foliage, and fruits growing on the stock 



n6 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



of holiness. In the first sphere and in the last of his itinerant 
life, that parting advice followed him. The Spartan matron 
charged her sons, when going to battle, to come back with their 
shields or to be brought back on them. Alfred Cookman 
never parted with the shield his mother gave him • he went into 
and returned from many battles with it, and when at length he 
fell, it is evident that on it he was borne to heaven. 

Attleboro Circuit lay among the hills of Bucks County, Pa., 
and embraced in its territory a fine rural district. It obliged a 
good deal of traveling and much hard work from the youthful 
minister. The social status of Methodism was not so high as 
he had been accustomed to in the cities, and, although he met 
with great kindness from the people, he missed many comforts 
which he had hitherto deemed quite necessary to his well-being. 
But he shrunk from no duty, however hard, and no work which 
lay in his way. Among the youths whom he had found on re- 
moving to Philadelphia was Andrew Longacre, now the Rev. 
Andrew Longacre, of the New York Conference. They soon 
felt themselves to be kindred spirits, and very speedily there 
sprang up between them a friendship which grew closer with 
maturing years, and has constituted one of the most profitable 
and lovely of human attachments. Andrew was younger by 
three years, but Alfred gave him his whole heart. The following 
letter is a proof of this affection, and also a fair exhibit of the 
circuit life. It discloses to us the dutiful service he was ready 
to render as a "junior preacher," the fidelity with which amid 
bodily ailments he stood to his post, and also the zest with 
which, though now a grave minister, he could enter into the 
pleasantries of his young friend : 

" New Town, February 22, 1847. 
"My dear Friend Andrew, — I had intended to reply to your in- 
teresting and affectionate letter some days since, but circumstances have 
been of a character to prevent me. Not only have I had the duties of a 
protracted meeting devolving upon me, but within the last few days I have 



ATTLEBORO CIRCUIT. — SUCCESS. 



117 



necessarily been obliged to travel a good deal, in compliance with the wishes 
of my colleague. On Friday last, in conjunction with his expressed desire, 
I procured a covered wagon and a pair of horses, and, assisted by a teamster, 
proceeded to bring a table that had been constructed in New Hope to this 
village, the place of its destination. The distance is about twelve miles, and 
the road being exceedingly bad, owing to the continued wet weather, we 
were about three hours in accomplishing the journey. During the day I got 
my feet very wet, and on my return was so thoroughly chilled that I appre- 
hended a severe cold. My surmises proved but too true, for, after passing a 
rather disagreeable night— my slumbers being disturbed— I rose in the morn- 
ing threatened with my old complaint. I had promised the day previous 
that I would return to New Town, and, if necessary, would endeavor to 
preach on Saturday evening in. Attleboro. Not willing to sacrifice my word, 
I very imprudently again left New Hope in an open sulky, and with great dif- 
ficulty reached New Town, when I was obliged to alight and lie down. I 
found, from the state of my feelings, that it would be impracticable and im- 
possible for me to proceed any farther. Debility and pain seemed to have 
seized my entire system, and I was sick — very sick. My colleague came in, 
and very kindly consented to put away and take charge of my horse, and 
thought, from my symptoms, that I should at once see a doctor. He soon 
arrived, dosed me with laudanum and castor-oil, said he would call again, 
and hoped that I would soon be better. In the unbounded mercy and un- 
deserved goodness of my Heavenly Father, I have been almost entirely re- 
stored ; and though I feel a little debilitated and suffer a little pain, yet still I 
hope very soon again to plunge into the battle and fight valiantly for my God. 

" But what am I doing ? Here I have filled up a page and a half with 
an account of the state of my physical system : something that must be 
as uninteresting as unprofitable to you. Since I left my Philadelphia 
friends (friends that I regard with feelings of peculiar tenderness), I have 
almost constantly been engaged in active service for my Master. Almost 
every evening has found me upon the battle-plain, surrounded by a devoted 
few, and arrayed against the armies of the aliens. My ear has been saluted 
not by the clash of arms, the roar of cannon, the shrieks of the wounded and 
dying, but, thank God, by something infinitely sweeter, nobler, and more de- 
lightful. Night after night I have heard the sweet hymn of praise gushing 
warm from the Christian's grateful heart ; the fervent and importunate prayer 
from him hungering and thirsting after righteousness ; the hearty exclama- 
tion, ' God be merciful to me, a sinner,' from him who regarded sin as a 
burden too intolerable to be borne ; the transporting accent trembling upon 
the lips of the newly regenerated creature, ' GloryJ Glory ! I do love Jesus, 



n8 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



for He has taken my feet from the mire and the clay, and He has planted 
them on the rock of ages.' I praise the Lord for what I have enjoyed in 
my own soul ; the flame of heaven's love has been burning brightly upon the 
altar of my heart, and these circumstances to which I have made allusion, 
viz., the conversion of my fellow-mortals, has been like fuel thrown upon 
the fire to add to the power and brilliancy of the flame. I often look at my- 
self, Andrew, and when I call to mind my manifold shortcomings and re- 
peated backslidings, when I remember my constant wanderings, both to the 
right hand and to the left, I am lost in wonder and astonishment that my 
Saviour should be so kind and good as to lavish upon rne such unnumbered 
and undeserved blessings, that He should choose me as one of His creature 
instruments to extend the honor of the Redeemer's name, I need and ear- 
nestly desire to love Him more and serve Him better, to have every power 
of-my nature consecrated upon the altar of His cause ; in a word, to be sanc- 
tified throughout, soul, body, and spirit ; for I verily believe that, if we would 
be eminently useful as well as supremely happy, we must love God with all 
our soul, mind, and strength. I certainly should feel very happy if I thought 
I had so secured your confidence as to prompt you feelingly and conscien- 
tiously to array my poor unworthy self with so many noble and excellent 
qualities. Perhaps that sentence was penned, like many of my own, from 
impulse, for I am sure that were you to bestow upon me the least scrutiny, 
my deformities, physical, mental, and moral, would induce you to start back 
astonished. One thing, though, is perfectly certain. I love my friends, and 
I covet their esteem and regard. 

" You inquire with regard to the number of valentines transmitted and 
received by myself— if less than a hundred, you require the exact number ; 
if more, a general estimate. Now, Andrew, take out your Arithmetic, and 
refer to the numeration table. Are you ready ? If so, commence ; but take 
care not to proceed with units, tens, and hundreds, but rather go the other 
way, and when you reach the enormous and inconceivable quantity of ' none? 
you shall be pronounced correct. Yes, Andrew, I received jio?ie. Had I 
possessed all those peculiar characteristics which your friendly epistle would 
seem to indicate, I am almost sure that some fair hand would have penned 
a declaration of esteem and love. You inquire if I regard it as sinful. 
Certainly not. I look upon it as perfectly innocent, an amusement that all 
may indulge in without incurring a sense of condemnation, if the valentines 
are only of the proper kind." 

All who remember the expression of genuine modesty which 
Alfred Cookman's face always wore, will appreciate the self- 



BISHOP AND MRS. HAMLINE. 



II 9 



deprecating reference with which he meets his friend's tribute 
to his personal qualities. I can almost see the girlish blush 
which mantles his youthful brow at the mention Of these excel- 
lences. But the feature of this first letter in his ministerial life 
which is most significant is the ardent breathings which it 
manifests for entire consecration to God. The leaven of his 
mother's advice was already working. Circumstances were close 
at hand which were distinctly to impress his whole subsequent 
career. In the providence of God he was thus early brought into 
contact with influences which gave definitive shape to his views 
and experiences on the great doctrine which was henceforth to 
occupy so much of his thoughts, and to the maintenance and 
propagation of which his talents and time were to be so signally 
and so successfully devoted. He shall speak for himself : 

"Frequently I felt to yield myself to God, and pray for the 
grace of entire sanctification ; but then this experience would 
lift itself in my view as a mountain of glory, and I would say 
it is not for me, I could not possibly scale that shining summit ; 
and if I could, my besetments and trials are such I could not 
successfully maintain so lofty a position. While thus exercised 
in mind Bishop Hamline, accompanied by his devoted wife, 
came to New Town, one of the principal appointments on the 
circuit, that he might dedicate a church which we had been 
erecting for the worship of God. Remaining about a week, he 
not only preached again and again, and always with the unction 
of the Holy One, but took occasion to converse with me point- 
edly respecting my religious experience. His gentle and yet 
dignified bearing, devotional spirit, beautiful Christian example, 
unctuous manner, divinely illuminated face, apostolic labor and 
fatherly counsels, made the profoundest impression on my mind 
and heart. I heard him as one sent from God, and certainly 
he was ; his influence, so hallowed and blessed, has not only 
remained with me ever since, but even seems to increase as I 
pass along in my sublunary pilgrimage. Oh, how I bless and 



120 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



praise God for the life and labors of the beloved Bishop Ham- 
line ! 

" One week-day afternoon, after a most delightful discourse, 
he urged us to seize the opportunity, and do what we had 
often desired and resolved and promised to do, viz., 1 as be- 
lievers yield ourselves to God as those who were alive from 
the dead, and from that hour trust in Jesus as our Saviour from 
all sin.' Kneeling by myself, I brought an entire consecration 
to the altar. But some one will say, ' Had you not done that at 
the time of your conversion ?' I answer, Yes ! but with this dif- 
ference — then I brought powers dead in trespasses and sin, 
now I would consecrate powers permeated with the new life of 
regeneration, I would offer myself a living sacrifice ; then I gave 
myself away, but now, with the increased illumination of the 
Spirit, I felt that my surrender was more intelligent and spe- 
cific and careful — it was my hands, my feet, my senses, my at- 
tributes of mind and heart, my hours, my energies, my reputa- 
tion, my worldly substance, my every thing, without reservation 
or limitation. Then I was anxious for pardon, but now my de- 
sire and faith compassed something more — I wanted the con- 
scious presence of the Sanctifier in my heart. Carefully conse- 
crating every thing, I covenanted with my own heart and with 
my heavenly Father that this entire but unworthy offering should 
remain upon the altar, and henceforth I will please God by be- 
lieving that the altar (Spirit) sanctifieth the gift. Do you ask 
what was the immediate effect? I answer peace — a broad, 
deep, full, satisfying, and sacred peace. This proceeded not 
only from the testimony of a good conscience before God, but 
likewise from the presence and operation of the Spirit in my 
heart. Still I could not say that I was entirely sanctified, ex- 
cept as I had sanctified myself to God. 

" The following day, finding Bishop and Mrs. Hamline, I ven- 
tured to tell them of my consecration and faith in Jesus, and in 
the confession realized increasing light and strength. A little 



EXPERIENCE OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION. 121 



while after it was proposed by Mrs. Hamline that we spend a 
season in prayer. Prostrated before God, one and another 
prayed ; and while thus engaged, God for Christ's sake gave 
me the Spirit as I had never received it before, so that I was 
constrained to conclude and confess ' that the great work of 
heart -purity that I have so often prayed and hoped for is 
wrought in me — even in me. Wonderful ! God does sanctify 
my soul. I can not doubt it — oh no ! 

" 1 Thou dost this moment save, 
With full salvation bless ; 
Redemption through Thy blood I have, 
And spotless love and peace.' 

" The evidence in my case was as direct and indubitable as 
the witness of sonship vouchsafed at the time of my adoption 
into the family of heaven. Need I say that the experience of 
sanctification inaugurated a new epoch in my religious life? 
Some of the characteristics of this higher life were blessed rest 
in Jesus, a clearer and more abiding experience of purity 
through the blood of the Lamb. What a conscious union and 
constant communion with God ! What increased power to do 
and to suffer the will of my Father, a steadier growth in grace, 
what delight in the Master's service, what fear to grieve the in- 
finitely Holy Spirit, what love for and desire to be with those 
who love holiness, what access and confidence in prayer, what 
interest and comfort in religious conversation, what illumina- 
tion and joy in the perusal of the blessed Word, what increased 
unction and power in the pulpit." 

Such is the account of his entire sanctification by the Holy 
Spirit, given by this servant of Christ after more than a dozen 
years had elapsed ; and when, if sober reflection could have 
corrected the errors of youth, it might be supposed it would 
have done so. Who can read a statement so simple and 
straightforward, so evidently faithful to the exercises of the 
soul, and so entirely consistent with the statements of conver- 

F 



122 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



sion and restoration he had previously made with so much can- 
dor and explicitness, and for a moment question the fact of the 
remarkable change which he here records ? Shall we receive 
the testimony to the change which occurred when "all alone 
with Jesus" in the church at Carlisle ; shall we accept the tes- 
timony to his ecstatic joy when, with a renewed sense of par- 
don, he leaped into his father's arms at the camp-meeting near 
Washington, and reject or doubt this testimony to the expe- 
rience of " heart purity," the evidence of which he affirms was 
as direct and indubitable as the witness of sonship at the time 
of his adoption ? Certainly he was as capable of understanding 
the correctness of the workings of his self-consciousness in the 
one case as in the other, and also of interpreting these work- 
ings in the light of Holy Scripture. Here we see the same 
defmiteness as there; now, as then, he seeks for a distinct 
blessing, which he thinks is comprehended in the provisions 
and promises of the Gospel, and in answer to his faith it is 
given, accompanied with its appropriate evidence. 

This blessing, the witness to which was immediate and direct, 
did not pass away in a moment ; it did not subside with the oc- 
casion, as any casual emotion might do, but was abiding, and 
constituted an "epoch" in his experience, attended with charac- 
teristics which he had time to mark and prove. While I freely 
allow that the consciousness of the believer can not be an orig- 
inal source of doctrine, yet I must admit that when a doctrine 
is taught by fair inference in the Word of God, whether by 
command or by promise, or as matter of history, the testimony 
of consciousness in the living believer is authoritative, and must 
be accepted in the case of that particular believer, and as an 
index to all who claim a similar experience. 

Mr. W T esley's attention to this great subject was first arrested, 
when he was forty-one years of age, by the profession of those 
who affirmed that they had experienced "salvation from all 
sin." He examined them carefully, and, though he was slow to 



mr. wesley's views. 



123 



credit their testimony at first, he was finally constrained to ac- 
cept it. Speaking of one such, he said, "If he can solemnly 
and deliberately answer in the affirmative" (certain test-ques- 
tions which he had asked), "'why do I not rejoice and praise 
God on his behalf? Perhaps because I have an exceeding 
complex notion of sanctification or a sanctified man. And so, 
for fear he should not have attained all I include in that idea, 
I can not rejoice in what he has attained."* In reviewing the 
same subject near the close of his life, Mr. Wesley wrote: 

"In the years 1759 to 1762 their numbers" (those who pro- 
fessed deliverance from sin) " multiplied exceedingly, not only 
in London and Bristol, but in various parts of Ireland as well 
as England. Not trusting to the testimony of others, I care- 
fully examined most of these myself, and in London alone I 
found 652 members of our Society who were exceeding clear in 
their experience, and of whose testimony I could see no reason 
to doubt. I believe no year has passed since that time, wherein 
God has not wrought the same work in many others, and every 
one of them (without a single exception) has declared that his 
deliverance from sin was instantaneous; that the change was 
wrought in a moment. Had half of these, or one third, or one 
in twenty, declared it was gradually wrought in them, I should 
have believed this, with regard to them, and thought that some 
were gradually sanctified and some instantaneously. But as I 
have not found in so long a space of time a single person 
speaking thus, I can not but believe that sanctification is com- 
monly, if not always, an instantaneous work."f 

Thus while Mr. Wesley believed and preached Christian per- 
fection as a doctrine of the Bible and a duty of believers, he 
was incredulous as to its actual attainment in any particular 
instance until fully satisfied by the testimony of those whom he 

* Tyerman's Life and Times of Wesley, vol. L, p. 462. Harper & Broth- 
ers, New York. 

t Wesley's Works, vol. vi., p. 464. 



124 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



had every reason to credit. Such was the common-sense way 
in which he dealt with all questions. To the long line of those 
who in the history of Methodism have lived as witnesses to 
this blessed experience, now was added a young herald of the 
Cross, who was destined, by his clear and forcible teachings, 
and by the eminent sanctity of his character, to do as much for 
its illustration, revival, and spread in this land as any other 
man of the last twenty-five years. It is not surprising that he 
should have ever after cherished the highest respect and the 
warmest affection for Bishop and Mrs. Hamline. As express- 
ive of this feeling, and as bearing upon this period of his life, 
I anticipate, by an extract, a letter written to Mrs. Hamline a 
little more than a year before his death. 

To Mrs. Bishop Hamline, of Evanston, Illinois : 

"Desplaines, Illinois, August 19, 1870. 
" I am greatly disappointed in my failure to see you during this visit to 
the Northwest. Indeed, one of my cherished hopes in coming to this re- 
gion was an interview with yourself. Your influence in the past links itself 
with my spiritual rest and Christian usefulness now, and will be an occasion 
of praise forever and ever. The name of Hamline, next to the name of 
Cookman, is the choicest jewel in the casket of my affectionate remem- 
brance. Yourself and your dear husband were the instruments under God 
of leading me out into the clear light of full salvation. How I delight and 
dwell in my musings upon the memory of the beloved Bishop Hamline — his 
angelic face — his apostolic bearing — his unctuous words. It was after a ser- 
mon that fell from his precious lips, preached in an afternoon, that I care- 
fully and intelligently consecrated all I had and hoped for to God. The 
entire consecration with faith in Jesus brought peace — deep, full, sacred, 
blessed peace ; but it was not until the following day, when you and I were 
praying together (most probably you forget it), that the witness came clearly, 
strongly, and satisfactorily that I was wholly sanctified through the power 
of the Holy Ghost. With me now as at that epochal time in my history, 
my heart turns toward you with an tninttcrable interest and love. May our 
kind Heavenly Father bless you with abounding consolations. You must 
soon realize the joy of reunion with the glorified, and, more than this, the 
beatific vision of Jesus. Oh may I not hope to be associated with you and 
dear Bishop Hamline in the many mansioned home?" 



CHAPTER VIII. 



FROM COUNTRY TO CITY.— TRIP TO ENGLAND. 

The annual session of the Philadelphia Conference was held 
in the spring of 1847, at Wilmington, Delaware. Bishop Ham- 
line presided. Alfred Cookman, having finished up his work, 
repaired to the seat of the Conference. He was an applicant 
for admission into the Conference, in company with a large 
number of young men, most of whom were his personal friends. 
The Conference was very full, it being found difficult to station 
all the preachers, and so, at the advice of the presiding bishop, 
it was voted to receive none "on trial." This was a sore dis- 
appointment to our young friend, as it was to others applying. 
He had preached at least a half-year under the presiding elder, 
and now to be obliged to do so an additional year was some- 
what grievous. The policy of such a procedure on the part of 
a Conference is always of doubtful expediency, and sometimes 
may be very unjust and injurious to the parties and to the work. 
The young minister, however, had consecrated himself to the 
Master's cause, according to the order of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, the Church of his father ; and so, bowing grace- 
fully to the decision of the Conference, he accepted again a po- 
sition under the presiding elder, and entered cheerfully upon it. 
He was appointed by the Rev. Daniel Lambdin to the Delaware 
City Circuit, in the State of Delaware, with the Rev. Robert 
McNarmee for his preacher in charge. 

Before I follow him to his new circuit, an important fact in 
his inward life must be stated. It will be remembered that his 
early religious experience received a check upon the occasion 
of his removal from Carlisle to Washington. His later expe- 



126 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



rience received a similar but a more prolonged check during this 
session of the Conference. The explanation is best given in his 
own words. They are a continuation of the published narrative 
before quoted from : " Oh that I could conclude just here these 
allusions to personal experience with the simple addition that 
my life to the present has answered to the description of end- 
less progress regulated by endless peace ! Fidelity to truth, 
however, with a solicitude that others may profit by my errors, 
constrains me to add another paragraph of my personal testi- 
mony. Have you ever known a sky full of sunshine — the pow- 
er of a beautiful day subsequently obscured by lowering clouds ? 
Have you ever known a jewel of incalculable value to its owner 
lost through culpable carelessness ? Alas ! that so bright a 
morning in my spiritual history should not have shone more 
and more unto the perfect day ; that I should, under any cir- 
cumstances, have carelessly parted with this pearl of personal 
experience. Eight weeks transpired — weeks of light, strength, 
love, and blessing ; Conference came on ; I found myself in 
the midst of beloved brethren; forgetting how easily the in- 
finitely Holy Spirit might be grieved, I allowed myself to drift 
into the spirit of the hour ; and, after an indulgence in foolish 
joking and story -telling, realized that I had suffered serious 
loss. To my next field of labor I proceeded with consciously 
diminished spiritual power." 

His mind went under a cloud; not only did he lose the evi- 
dence of perfect love, but there. followed its loss serious ques- 
tionings as to the possibility of the experience which he had 
professed. There is always a tendency to depress the stand- 
ard of Truth to the personal experience. It is not surprising, 
therefore, to find him using the following language : " Perhaps, 
to satisfy my conscience, I began to favor the argument of 
those who insisted that sanctification, as a work of the Holy 
Spirit, could not involve an experience distinct from regenera- 
tion." Such was the candor and caution with which he referred 



INFLUENCE OF THE HEART ON OPINIONS. 1 27 

to a subject which was ever to him cause of sincere regret. 
The heart so imperceptibly colors the opinions of every man 
that it is exceedingly difficult to have views which are wholly 
free'd from its influence. It is well-nigh impossible to look at 
Truth with clear discrimination independently of its effects upon 
the affections. Hence the Bible makes the inward experience 
the interpreter of its meaning : " Whoso is born of God hath 
the witness in himself." There may be a dogmatic acceptance 
of the doctrine of regeneration, but there can be no adequate 
conviction of its reality until the soul by the change wrought 
in it receives the attest of its truth. Talk as we may of the 
objective truth of God's Word contained in the Holy Script- 
ures, that objective truth needs. the accompanying witness of a 
believing, living self-consciousness, as contained in the Church, 
the Body of Christ, in order that it may be understood and felt 
as the power of the Holy Ghost unto salvation. The key which 
unlocks the secret wards of its spiritual treasury is the experi- 
ence of the child of God. When the experience of the Church 
is high, the meaning put upon Christian doctrine is positive ; 
when the experience is low, the meaning is correspondingly 
vague ; the decay of inward life is marked by a decay of ortho- 
doxy, and its rise by a return to evangelical faith. Yet I can 
not but admire the conscientious qualifying "perhaps" with 
which our friend states his impression of the probable bias 
which the lapse in his spiritual life may have imparted to his 
judgment. 

This revelation is the more painful, in that the session of 
Conference, which should have been the means of establishing 
him in the " faith," became the means of unsettling him. He 
does not blame his brethren for it — only he allowed himself to 
be betrayed into undue levity. Methodist preachers, when 
they come together at the Conference after a year's separation, 
feel the buoyancy of spirit which instinctively arises from a sud- 
den respite from pastoral cares ; the gratification which is in- 



128 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



spired by the greeting of old friends. Their system of itineran- 
cy, according to which no man has any particular Church, and 
in the changes of which they regard themselves as candidates 
for each other's fields of labor, binds them into a closer unity 
of fellowship, and "a fellow-feeling makes them wondrous 
kind;" and so at their great festival they very naturally unbend 
in each other's company. Their observation is over a broad 
territory, they have mingled freely with all classes of people, 
their wits have been sharpened by contact with the shrewdest 
of mankind ; and, with an infinite fund of anecdote, it is not sur- 
prising that their conversation should be flavored with incidents 
both grave and gay. 

It may be one of the provisions of divine benevolence that the 
minds who see most clearly and feel most deeply the sins and 
misfortunes of the race do also see and feel most keenly their 
oddities j so that nothing is more common than for the sense 
of humor to be closely allied with the sense of devotion, and 
thus the gravity which would be so weighty as to overwhelm is 
lightened by an elastic gayety. That this gift may be abused 
is unquestionable ; and that Methodist ministers, like other 
good people in an unwary hour, under the sway of exuberant 
enjoyment, may forget themselves, is possible. Beyond doubt 
there is too much trifling conversation at such times among 
them ; and yet much depends upon the man himself, and upon 
the schooling of his conscience. Whatever effect the conversa- 
tions of these "beloved brethren" had upon themselves, upon 
Alfred it was deleterious. His delicate conscience, all the 
more susceptible because of his recent higher experience, and 
for want of free intercourse with his brethren since he received 
it, was wounded, his religious life in his own estimation was 
harmed, and sank to a lower plane, on which it continued 
through some years afterward. 

The new circuit was found to be very congenial. From a 
lady who knew him well, and between whom and himself there 



THE HABITS OF CIRCUIT LIFE. 



129 



was a pleasant friendship, Mrs. L. A. Battershall, of New York, 
I have received the following reference to his character and 
work at this time : 

" Numbered with the most pleasant memories of the by-gone 
are my recollections of the Rev. Alfred Cookman. After his 
appointment to Delaware City Circuit, he was a frequent guest 
at the hospitable home of a relative, whom I was then visiting. 
Domiciled beneath the same roof, ample opportunity was thus 
afforded me of observing his habitual deportment in the daily 
amenities of life. He was richly endowed by nature with a 
genial spirit, and an ease and grace of manner which eminently 
fitted him to shine as the centre of the social circle, and yet I 
never knew him betrayed into a levity unbecoming a minister 
of the Gospel of Christ. 

" Delaware City Circuit at that time embraced quite a por- 
tion of the wealthy agricultural district of New Castle County, 
Delaware, and was populated by a people of more than ordina- 
ry intelligence. To all classes of this population young Cook- 
man came as the messenger of life. His young heart burned 
with love for souls. He went from his closet to the pulpit, and, 
thus panoplied with power, it is no marvel that the multitudes 
which from Sabbath to Sabbath hung upon the earnest plead- 
ings of his eloquent lips for their salvation, regarded him as a 
royal ambassador from the Court of the Most High." 

The year, according to this testimony, passed profitably and 
pleasantly, as he glided about from village to village and home 
to home among a devout and hospitable people. In those days 
it was not customary for the young preacher to have any fixed 
boarding-place on the circuit. No appropriation was made to 
pay his board, but he was expected to " stay around" among the 
families, remaining longest where it was most congenial, or 
where, from the means and kindness of the families, he could 
be rendered most comfortable, and found the greatest facilities 
for reading and study. Sometimes the young preacher would 

F 2 



130 LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 

be so fortunate as to have one or more such homes at each of 
the churches. Occasionally he could arrange to spend most 
of his time at one central home, where his books and wardrobe 
— if he were rich beyond the contents of his saddle-bags — could 
remain, and where he was always made heartily welcome. Noth- 
ing could exceed the cordiality with which the families at these 
homes greeted and entertained their young minister. The best 
room was at his disposal, the richest products of farm and gar- 
den, the choicest poultry from the swarming broods, were put 
before him. His appearance on horseback or in sulky at the 
road-gate was the signal for a prompt and general raid on the 
barn-yard. Lucky was the chicken which could discern the 
enemy from afar, and, timely warned, could make tracks for 
some hiding-place before the fury of urchin or dog fell upon its 
hapless head. At the protracted and quarterly meetings these 
homes became the gathering-points of the ministers and official 
members of the circuit, occasions of happy reunions, and of 
deep spiritual as well as social enjoyment. 

At the session of the Conference in the spring of 1848, Al- 
fred Cookman was again an applicant for admission, and was 
received in company with William H. Brisbane, Charles J. 
Thompson, Jacob Dickerson, George Maddux, Adam Wallace, 
William Walton, William Major, John Hough, Curtis F. Tur- 
ner, Samuel R. Gillingham, Jeremiah Pastorfield, David Price, 
and William B. Mezick. His first appointment in the minutes 
occurs this year, to Germantown Circuit, which included Ger- 
mantown and Chestnut Hill. The Rev. James A. Massey was 
his presiding elder. The circuit comprised a very beautiful sub- 
urban region of Philadelphia. Germantown and Chestnut Hill 
have grown into important stations. His labors were marked 
by fidelity to duty, and all his exercises were indications of the 
future successes which were destined to crown his ministry. 

Large cities have a wondrous attractive power for all the 
forces which can augment their greatness. It is not surprising 



KENSINGTON AND PORT RICHMOND. 131 

to find Philadelphia Methodism speedily demanding Alfred 
Cookman for its service. In the spring of 1849 ne was a P~ 
pointed as junior preacher, under the Rev. David Dailey, to 
Kensington and Port Richmond, with the Rev. John P. Durbin, 
D.D., as the presiding elder. He was now following closely 
in the footsteps of his father — this having been the first appoint- 
ment of that godly man — and the brick church of Kensington, 
that was so often vocal to the eloquence of the father in his 
youth, was again vocal with the fervent and persuasive tones 
of the son. The veneration of the young minister for his father 
was an absorbing passion, consequently there could be no mo- 
tive, next to his reverence for the divine Master and the sense 
of responsibility to Him, so powerful as the consideration that 
he was standing directly where his father had stood, and was 
ministering to the very people who had listened to his burning 
and instructive words. But little record remains to us of the ex- 
ercises of his mind or of the character and effect of his preaching. 

One of the best proofs of his success is that he was returned 
a second year to the same station, with the privilege of sup- 
plying his work for a part of the year and making a visit to 
Europe. It was about this time that I first saw Alfred Cook- 
man. Although he and I had lived as boys in Baltimore 
through some of the same years, yet he was so far my senior, 
and the charges to which we severally belonged were so wide 
apart, that it happened we had never met. I had heard so 
much of him that when I learned he was to preach at the 
Charles Street Church, I hastened thither, and found myself a 
curious hearer amid the crowd which thronged the building. 
Many of those present had been his father's friends, they had 
known him from boyhood, they comprised very many of the 
most highly cultured Methodists of the city — all facts not little 
adapted to embarrass the young preacher. His theme was the 
"Resurrection of Christ." His action is distinctly before me 
now, as he described Peter and John in their eager race to 



132 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



reach the tomb of Jesus after they had heard the announce- 
ment of Mary that " He had risen from the dead." The preach- 
er was then just past twenty-two years, of very handsome, pleas- 
ing personal appearance — slight, erect, with a most engaging 
countenance, rendered doubly attractive by the massy black 
hair which fell upon his neck and shoulders. 

A letter to his grandfather Cookman immediately preceding 
the Conference of 1850 gives some insight to his feelings. It 
breathes the tenderest pathos, and shows how well prepared he 
was already to fill the highly important office of comforter to 
the afflicted : 

" Philadelphia, March 16, 1850. 
" I find by a reference to the newspaper that a steamer will leave New 
York for Liverpool next Wednesday, and although the near approach of 
Conference gives me an abundance to do, yet I have managed to economize 
an hour, which I most joyfully devote to the delightful exercise of English 
correspondence. Though old ocean's waters serve to separate us, yet fre- 
quently thought and affection, hand in hand, defying space and distance, wing 
their way to your sea-girt isle, and by the eye of fancy I can see you moving 
from place to place or attending to your daily duties. How much I wish at 
such times that flesh and blood could travel with the rapidity of thought. 
Often would you find me lingering near, eager to pay you those attentions 
which not only old age but your recent heavy afflictions so imperatively re- 
quire. Believe me, dear grandfather, when I assure you that I think of and 
deeply sympathize with you, and when I kneel down before Him who can be 
touched with a feeling of our infirmities, I endeavor as best I can to bear 
you up upon the wings of faith and prayer. The trials which in the mys- 
terious providence of an all-wise God have come upon you are indeed dis- 
tressing — aye, almost overwhelming. To bid farewell to those as dear to 
you as life itself, to gaze upon their countenances for the last time, not know- 
ing that you will ever again meet with them in the flesh, to be left alone 
with no relative to offer his tender sympathies or kind attentions — all this 
certainly must have been agonizing in the extreme. At such a period, when 
the vanity of every thing sublunary must be seen and felt, how comforting 
and encouraging to remember that in the blessed Saviour we have 'a Friend 
that sticketh closer than a brother ;' One that will never leave nor forsake 
us, who will stand by us in six trials, and not forsake us in the seventh. I 
have no doubt but that you have personally experienced the preciousness of 



CONFERENCE STUDIES. 



133 



these scriptural assurances. Under the shadow of His wing you have found 
a covert from the stormy blast, and not only so, but perhaps with holy tri- 
umph are able to affirm that 'tribulation worketh patience ; and patience, ex- 
perience ; and experience, hope : and hope maketh not ashamed, because the 
love of God is shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost given unto me.' 
These light afflictions, which are but for a moment, are intended to work out 
for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. I would gladly, 
if possible, pour the balm of Christian consolation into your bruised and 
bleeding heart. But I rejoice to remember that there is One who regards 
you with more than, a mother's love ; who behind a frowning providence is 
hiding a smiling face ; who encouragingly whispers all things shall work to- 
gether for good to those who put their trust in God. May his richest bless- 
ing rest abundantly upon you, and although you are descending the hill of 
life, yet with the everlasting arms beneath and around you, may you realize 
that your path shineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. 

" In a little more than a week the Philadelphia Conference will assemble in 
our city. If all should be well, I expect during the session to be admitted to 
the order of deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church. I have been endeav- 
oring to preach Christ and Him crucified for upward of three years, and re- 
alize an increasing love for my work. Now that I am to be received into 
full connection, I would dedicate myself more unreservedly to God, and in 
the strength of grace resolve to spend and be spent more fully in the service 
of my Heavenly Master. Oh ! that with the laying on of hands there may 
be a special anointing of the Holy Spirit, that I may indeed become a 
flaming herald of the King of kings and Lord of lords. 

" My studies occupy much of my time and attention. Watson's Institutes 
(with which you are quite familiar) is perhaps the most difficult work we 
have to digest preparatory to examination. There is such a number of 
points and multiplicity of theories to treasure up that I find it requires a 
little extra attention. As a production I regard it as a masterpiece, an en- 
during monument to the cherished memory of its distinguished author. Our 
examiners have, by the direction of the bishops, put into our hands a vol- 
ume entitled the Principles of Morality, by Jonathan Dymond, who, if I mis- 
take not, is an English Quaker. The work, though embodying some excel- 
lent truths, contains much that is unquestionably heterodox. The author 
argues strongly in advocacy of the doctrines peculiar to the Society of 
Friends, such as quiet worship, absence of all excitement, unpaid ministry, 
etc., etc. I acknowledge that I have been considerably astonished during 
its perusal that it should have received the sanction of our Episcopacy, and 
can only account for it on the ground of inadvertence. I had intended to 



134 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



give you some account in this letter of the slavery excitement, which has 
been shaking the temple of our liberties to its very foundations, but will be 
obliged, from the want of time and space, to defer it until a more convenient 
season. After the adjournment of Conference I shall be more disengaged, 
and will embrace an early opportunity to pen with more care another, and, 
I trust, more interesting letter than this. Mother, brother, and little sister 
were all well when I saw them a day or two since, and join me, I am sure, in 
the tenderest love to yourself and all other English friends." 

Fortunately the student of Watson's Institutes in this in- 
stance had had a training at school which qualified him to 
grapple with its "number of points and multiplicity of theories." 
The examinations of the second year all satisfactorily passed, 
the probationer was admitted to the Conference and elected to 
deacon's orders. Together with all the members of his class 
(except one, whose place was supplied by the addition of Henry 
Hurn), he was ordained deacon by Bishop Waugh. There sub- 
sisted between Alfred Cookman and the members of his class 
a close and loving devotion through his whole career. 

To young Methodist ministers the companionship of the four 
years' course in the Conference has much the same influence 
on after-life as that of the college or theological seminary has 
upon those who are students in such institutions. This "course," 
with its associations and its drill, however imperfect, is a feature 
of Methodism not understood by many who have wondered at 
the slowness of the Methodists to adopt theological schools, 
and their readiness to admit to the pastorate young men of 
comparatively little learning. Young preachers can be con- 
tinued indefinitely on trial, till voted to deacon's orders, or they 
can be discontinued before this, if in the judgment of the Con- 
ference they do not give proofs of original capacity and of pro- 
ficiency in study. So that it is a fair inference that by the time 
a licentiate is voted to orders he has become a well-informed 
minister. 

As I have already intimated, Mr. Cookman was returned this 
year to Kensington and Port Richmond. There awaited him 



VOYAGE TO EUROPE. 



135 



now one of the most delightful episodes of his life. It was de- 
termined that he should visit his aged grandfather in England. 
The veteran himself strongly urged the visit, and it was thought 
the visit would be not only a gratification to him in his ad- 
vanced years, but also that at this period of the young minis- 
ter's life it would be of incalculable advantage to his future ca- 
reer. There is an education, a breadth and defmiteness of view, 
a knowledge of the world, which can be obtained in travel which 
is possible in no other way. The preparations for the voyage 
were rapidly hurried forward, and in the month of July Mr. 
Cookman sailed in the steamer Eurofia from New York for Liv- 
erpool. It was with no little trepidation that the good mother 
risked her dearest treasure once more on the uncertain deep, 
and that the son launched upon the waste of waters which had 
engulfed his beloved father; but it was deemed the order of 
God, and so both took courage, as only thus a filial duty could 
be discharged. It was hard to leave friends behind, but grand- 
father, the best friend next to mother since the father's loss, and 
old England, the " sea-girt isle," were beyond. 

To his mother, Mrs. Mary Cookman : 

" Steamer Europa, Friday morn, July 19, 1850. 

" Thinking that you will feel interested in hearing of my progress, I avail 
myself of the present opportunity to pen a few lines, expecting to mail my 
letter this afternoon in Halifax. Concerning my movements up to twelve 
o'clock on Wednesday, George can give you all possible information. At 
that hour I bade him farewell, and with my fellow-passengers started on 
my voyage across the blue Atlantic. As we passed down New York Bay, I 
was much interested in viewing different objects upon the shore. Here was 
a magnificent edifice, with its solid and majestic columns, its symmetrical 
and beautiful proportions ; there an angry-looking fort, with its gaping iron 
mouths, ready to roar at the presumptuous invader of the land of the free 
and the home of the brave. As we passed Sandy Hook, we parted with 
our pilot (the last link that seemed to bind us to the shore), and put out 
fairly to sea. By this time I had formed an acquaintance with one or two 
of the passengers, and had already enjoyed much pleasant conversation. 
The wind being pretty fresh, occasioned some roughness of the water, and 



136 



LIFE OF ALFRED COO KM AN. 



this, together with the combined influence of our sails and engine, caused 
the boat to roll considerably. 

" Now, then, for the tug of war. As the ship would rise, I would not suf- 
fer the least inconvenience, but when, immediately after, she would make a 
lurch, there seemed to be a strange nervousness of feeling in the region of 
digestion. After a while a disagreeable dimness began to steal over my vis- 
ion. I fought like a lion. At four o'clock the dinner-bell rang, and think- 
ing that perhaps a little food would serve as a barricade on the field of bat- 
tle, behind which I might ensconce myself from the attack of the foe, I ven- 
tured to eat a little. A very few mouthfuls served to suffice, for, finding my- 
self driven from my position, I resolved on retreat. Down I went to my 
state-room, the enemy following me. First he got me on my back, then he 
seemed to turn every thing round within me, then he commanded me to re- 
store what I had so insultingly swallowed at dinner-time, and, will you be- 
lieve me, I felt obliged to yield. Up it came, with a good deal more, and I 
left the treasure at his feet. After so fierce a contest and so signal a defeat, 
I thought I might lie down. As seven o'clock (supper-time), however, roll- 
ed round, I inscribed on my banner, ' Often beaten, but still unconquered,' 
and staggered up again to the charge. A little toast and tea was all I ven- 
tured to take, and yet the enemy, as if maddened by my obstinate resistance, 
laid upon me a heavier hand than ever, and down I went a second time. 
What a trouncing I got ! I gave him back all — aye, more than all. I shed 
tears, I groaned, I rolled, and at last, with some difficulty, got to bed — not 
to sleep, however. During the night, with the motion of the boat, I pitched 
from side to side, and as morning dawned rose and went forth to walk the 
deck. During yesterday, although feeling somewhat squeamish, I con- 
cluded myself decidedly better, and ventured to partake very moderately of 
food. Last night I slept gloriously, and this morning began to feel like my- 
self again. I can now just perceive the aforementioned foe in the distance, 
almost out of sight, but now and then turning round to know whether it 
would not be well to return. From suffering experience, I think I know 
something respecting sea-sickness, and feel it in my heart to say that here- 
after I will cheerfully relinquish my share to any other for a very trifling 
consideration. 

" Our boat is a splendid one. Her officers are gentlemanly and skillful, 
her crew is orderly and obedient, the servants are attentive and obliging, 
and our accommodations are all that could be desired. At half-past eight 
we breakfast, at half-past twelve enjoy lunch, at four sit down to dinner, and 
at seven drink our tea. The dinner service is certainly splendid, and the 
food unexceptionable. We have every variety and any quantity. My state- 



DEVOUT FEELINGS ON SHIPBOARD. 



J 37 



room is not quite as far forward as I should like, and yet its situation back 
is not without advantage, since there is an absence from noise and a retire- 
ment which is very desirable and delightful on shipboard ; besides, I have it 
all to myself, and you know from experience that this is a desideratum. 
Our passengers, though mostly foreigners, are very kind and gentlemanly. 
Perhaps there is a little too much liquor drank, and last night I observed 
some card-playing. With two or three I have formed rather an intimate 
acquaintance, and find them to be gentlemanly, communicative, and affec- 
tionate. 

" Our noble steamer has been urging on her course steadily since our de- 
parture from New York. Yesterday, notwithstanding rather unfavorable 
weather, she accomplished about two hundred and fifty miles. After we 
leave Halifax, and become a little lighter by the consumption of coal, I ap- 
prehend her speed will be very considerably increased. Though sailing on 
the vast ocean, with naught but sky above and sea around, I rejoice to say I 
realize the presence of my Heavenly Father. Indeed, I think I feel, as I 
never felt before, my dependence upon Him for life and every thing else. 
I desire to remain momentarily beneath the shadow of His almighty wing, 
for there I am sure nothing wrong can befall me. Thus far I have accom- 
plished but little in the way of reading and writing ; indeed, my sea-sick- 
ness would not allow of it. I hope, at least, to keep up a short diary, or, 
as the sailors say, log. The weather in this latitude is foggy and cold. 
Last night I wrapped myself in a blanket, and during the day find my over- 
coat no encumbrance. I spend much of my time thinking of you ; you are 
as dear to me as my own life. May God bless and mercifully preserve you 
all. Pray for me. My sheet is full, and I must close my letter, written with 
some difficulty, owing to the motion of the boat and the noise of the ma- 
chinery. Give my best love to brothers, little sister, and all friends." 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE FOREIGN TOUR.- — ENGLISH SCENERY AND FRIENDS. 

On Sunday, July 29th, he arrived at Liverpool. His own 
descriptions are so full and vivid as to supersede any efforts 
of mine to describe the delight with which he set foot on 
English soil. He had been educated all his life to believe ev- 
ery thing was grand and beautiful in England, the home of his 
ancestors ; he had been taught so to revere his kindred, had 
been told so many- noble things of them, that it w r as natural he 
should expect much, and hence should be correspondingly 
gratified if his ardent expectations were more than fulfilled. 
Though accustomed to the thought of the genuine worth of his 
kindred at Hull, the social and material elegance in which they 
lived, yet reared, as he had been, in the modest surroundings 
of a Methodist preacher's son, he was hardly prepared for all 
the refinement which was to greet him. Nothing could be more 
pleasing than the letters so artlessly detailing his observations 
and impressions. 

To the mother and family at home : 

" Stepney Lodge, Hull, Yorkshire, ) 
Monday evening, July 29, 1850. ) 
" I am in a perfect ecstasy ! my joy is unbounded and uncontrollable ! my 
only fear is that I will wake up and find it all a dream. Iam in Hull ; nay, 
more, I am at my dear grandfather's residence. Would you believe it ? I 
can scarce realize it myself. And now I shall endeavor to conquer emotion 
a little, and, as calmly as I can, go back and detail my progress since my de- 
parture from Halifax, for in that town I mailed a letter for you written upon 
the ocean after we left New York. I will not advert to the routine of our 
proceedings on shipboard ; if you should feel interested in any thing of that 
nature, have recourse to my excellent friend and host, viz., Brother J. Baily, 



SUNDAY IN LIVERPOOL. 



*39 



and you can readily obtain the desired information in a letter which I shall 
mail in the same steamer which will convey this. Suffice it to say that, after 
a prosperous and most delightful voyage of not quite eleven days, no storm 
having occurred and the wind having continued favorable nearly all the way, 
we reached Liverpool on Sunday a little after two o'clock. I immediately 
proceeded to the George Hotel, a magnificent establishment ; when, having 
adjusted matters a little, I sallied forth, sighing most for religious privi- 
leges, for Christian communion. As I passed up the street, I providentially 
met with a gentleman whom I took to be a Wesleyan from his plain and 
neat costume. Addressing him, I inquired if he could direct me in my search 
for a Wesleyan chapel ? Immediately informing me that he was connected 
with that excellent body, he kindly proposed to conduct me to the place of 
my pursuit. Arm-in-arm we passed up the street, enjoying pleasant conver- 
sation, and came to Mount Pleasant Chapel, one of the oldest churches in 
Liverpool. The Sabbath-school was about to close, and, by request, I united 
with them in prayer, and felt, indeed, access to our Father through our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

" Yielding to a most urgent and importunate invitation to accompany this 
brother home to tea, at six I went with him to Stanhope Chapel, when a 
brother Roebuck preached a most capital sermon. More of this anon. 
The service charmed me, but about this we will have one of our old-fash- 
ioned tete-a-t&es upon my return. After the benediction I went to Dr. Raf- 
fles's church, and after this to a Mr. Fallows's, a most evangelical and excel- 
lent member of the Establishment. Having accomplished as much and en- 
dured more than I anticipated in the way cf church-going, I returned to my 
hotel, and about ten retired — not, however, to sleep. The circumstances of 
the evening as well as the prospects of the morrow drove slumber from my 
eyes. However, not to linger by the way, morning dawned, and an early 
hour found me at the custom-house, where the delay and tardiness of the 
government officers greatly provoked me. Stating my situation, and mani- 
festing much anxiety, I secured my trunks, and drove with all possible speed 
for the railway - station, and got there just fourteen minutes past nine 
o'clock, one minute too soon for the Hull train. Off we flew at the rate of 
thirty miles an hour, through first a manufacturing and afterward an agri- 
cultural district, through tunnels — one of them four miles long — under and 
over noble bridges, until at about three o'clock we entered the station-house 
at Hull. 

" I ascertained by inquiry as well as by reference to the directory that 
Mr. Holmes's residence was quite near. Taking my carpet-bag in my hand, 
I went round and found a double mansion, elegantly furnished, with hand- 



140 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



some park and garden, and immediately rung the bell. A servant appear- 
ed. I inquired for Mrs. Holmes, ascertained she was in, was asked for my 
name, I replied a 'stranger;' the maid disappearing, my own aunt made 
her appearance. I observed, 'An unexpected visit from a stranger; look 
at me, and tell me if you know me.' She looked, and immediately replied, 
' Cookman !' I was then introduced into the drawing-room, and cousin af- 
ter cousin came in — among the rest two Of aunt Smith's daughters : all fine, 
noble-looking girls. Shall I say I spent a pleasant hour with them ? It 
was more, infinitely more ; no adjective is strong enough to express the joy 
I realized. We sat around the tea-table, and conversed about the past and 
the present, and oh, it was glorious ! There are many little facts and cir- 
cumstances I could detail, but I must forbear. After an early tea I ordered 
a cab, and, after kissing one of my fair cousins who leaves in the morning for 
boarding-school in London, I proceeded to Stepney Lodge, where dear 
grandfather, I am most happy to say, still resides. 

" As I approached the mansion my feelings were indescribable — a thousand 
reminiscences rushed irresistibly upon my mind and heart. I rung the bell, 
and immediately the housekeeper made her appearance, and told me that 
grandfather had gone to town to meet the property committee. I then re- 
solved I would fill up the interim with the scrawl which I very much fear 
you will be unable to read. I am now waiting for him. Stepney Lodge is a 
lovely spot ; I glance out of the window and there is a small park, bounded 
by a beautiful hedge ; to the left is an artificial pond, surrounded on my right 
by a series of walks through noble trees and luxuriant shrubbery ; and be- 
hind, a garden abounding with all kinds of fruit. I went out a little while 
ago and tasted gooseberries the size of a walnut, ripe raspberries, the largest 
strawberries I ever saw without exception, red and black currants, and saw 
pears, apples, and any quantity of ripe grapes in his summer-house. It is a 
paradise, glorious, enchanting. The house is old-fashioned and exceedingly 
comfortable, containing every thing that heart could wish. Over the man- 
tel-piece of the room in which I am writing hangs a likeness of dear father — 
excellent, decidedly the best I have seen. Before me is the portrait of uncle 
Alfred, from which the picture we have is taken. * * * 

" The Conference commences on Wednesday in London. Just think of it ; 
how fortunate ! Thus I can attend its sessions, and at the same time visit 
the lions of this world-renowned city. Thus far Providence has smiled upon 
me, and every thing has turned out just as my wishes would dictate. Shall I 
be ungrateful ? Rather let me, by a renewal of my spiritual covenant, prove 
that I am not insensible to the thousand blessings which my Heavenly Fa- 
ther so indulgently lavishes upon unworthy me. Oh, I feel I can not be 



HULL. THE GRANDFATHER. 



I 4 I 



thankful enough ! My cup runneth over with mingled happiness and grati- 
tude. John Holmes, the oldest son, is a fine fellow — tall, with rather an in- 
telligent face, and certainly very affectionate ; but, indeed, I can not talk 
about my cousins now ; my feelings will not permit. 

" Grandfather has not yet arrived. After an interview with him I will 
close this sheet and immediately mail it for Liverpool, in order that it may 
be in time for the Pacific's mail, which steamer sails on Wednesday. Let 
me just now say I am delighted with England. My expectations were exalted, 
and they certainly have been more than realized. Grandfather is coming ; 
I see his tall, erect, and commanding figure. He has an umbrella under his 
arm, and walks both firmly and fast. He enters, but does not know me. 
Gradually I reveal the fact that his grandson stands before him. He mani- 
fests the greatest delight. During the evening, until about half-past ten, we 
sat together conversing about persons and things ; when, taking my candle 
in my hand, I retired to my room, and received from him a most affectionate 
good-night. He still dresses in the old English costume — short clothes, 
white cravat — and is altogether the finest-looking old gentleman that I have 
seen in England, or that I have ever met with. He is splendid ; oh, how 
1 happy I am in his society ! This morning he goes to perform his duties 
upon the bench. He has a charming residence. * * * I have entered into 
particulars, because I know that they will interest you. Much more I have 
to say, but I must close. I have seen Mr. Henwood, a noble old gentleman, 
so kind and affectionate. He sends his affectionate regards, as do all the 
others." 

The following letter from a niece of Mrs. Cookman will be 
read with interest : 

"Hull, August 2, 1850. 
v "Your son tells me that you are expecting a letter by the mail which 
leaves this afternoon, and will be very much disappointed if you do not hear 
from or of him, so he has deputed me to be his secretary. I wish his choice 
had fallen on a more able person, for I am not much accustomed to or fond 
of letter-writing ; but I doubt not any news of your son will be to you most 
acceptable, so I will do my best to tell you his present whereabouts and future 
course. He and my uncle Holmes went this morning to Sheffield, where 
they will spend a few hours, thence going to Doncaster, will stay all night 
there. Poor mamma will, I know, be very much dissatisfied that only one 
night is allotted to her, but my cousin has promised to preach in Thornton 
Street Chapel twice next Sunday, so he is obliged to return to Hull on Sat- 
urday afternoon; he leaves here again on Tuesday for London, visiting 



142 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Birmingham, Bristol, and Oxford on his way. He will, of course, stay a 
night in Bristol to see my aunt Hannah and her family. From. London he 
is going to Paris, Brussels, and Antwerp, returning about next Saturday fort- 
night to Hull, where he will preach on the following day in Waltham Street 
and George Street Chapels. I do not think he has yet made up his mind 
^whether or not to visit Scotland. I wish you could see our family party 
gathered around the table, endeavoring to fix his tour, with maps and railway 
guides before us; you would be quite amused to hear first one proposing 
one plan, then a second another; one says he ought to see this town; anoth- 
er, that is the best route; while my cousin Alfred sits quietly looking on, and 
listens to all in turn. 

"Now I have told you what I know about my cousin's proceedings, I 
must tell you how delighted we all are to have him among us ; our only 
regret is that our eyes behold one and not all our cousins, with their dear 
mother, but we are at present satisfied with what we have, and hope at a 
future day to see some, if not all, of your family in England. As we can 
not know them personally, we have endeavored to do so by report. Al- 
fred yesterday morning brought their portraits from Mr. Cookman's, so we 
all tried to judge their characters by their faces, and made Alfred tell us 
their several characteristics, till I could almost fancy I know my hitherto 
stranger cousins. As for John Holmes, he has taken such a fancy to little 
Mary, that he proposes sending me his own sister Annie and exchanging 
me for his cousin ; but that I suppose you will hardly agree to. I asked 
Alfred yesterday if he had any message to send to you, and his answer was, 
'Tell my mother that my cup of happiness is overflowing;' indeed, he re- 
ceives so many attentions, and is so much thought of by his father's friends, 
that it will be a wonder if he is not quite spoiled before he returns to 
Philadelphia. Mr. Cookman and he dined with us last Wednesday ; the 
old gentleman seems quite pleased with and proud of his grandson. He 
went with us in the evening to hear him preach in Thornton Street Chapel, 
and appeared quite delighted with his sermon. And now, my dear aunt, I 
must draw my letter to a close ; in order to make it valuable, my aunt has 
half promised to cross it, so on her return from the town, if she has time 
before the post leaves, I shall request her to do so. 

" My aunt Holmes has just come in from the town, but says it is impossi- 
ble for her to find time to write even a few lines this afternoon, but I am to 
tell you that she is quite charmed with her nephew." 

It seems, then, that grandfather, aunts, and cousins were all 
" charmed " with the American cousin. Such a picture of him 



KINDRED. DONCASTER, ENGLAND. 



143 



and his surroundings from the pen of a maiden cousin must 
have been very grateful to the mother's feelings. His visit was 
not only busy with sight-seeing and social joys, but also with 
engagements to preach. In the very chapels where his father, 
when but a year or two older than he, first thrilled the hearts 
of his neighbors, the son now preached to the delight of grand- 
father and all. To the noble parent it must have been as 
though his own son were alive from the dead. 
To his mother :" 

" Stepney Lodge, Hull, August 5, 1850. 

" I should have written to you the latter part of last week but for the mul- 
tiplicity and urgency of my engagements. The Hull people have made quite 
a lion of me, and hence I am expected to exhibit myself on all convenient 
occasions, and occasionally interest them by my American roaring. My 
cousin Ella Smith, however, very kindly consented to do what only the cir- 
cumstances of the case prevented me from doing, and that was to transmit 
a letter by last Saturday's steamer. I have now seen pretty much all my 
relatives in this part of England, and I speak sincerely when I say that they 
not only answer but far exceed my most sanguine expectations. On Friday 
last I visited Doncaster, my mother's native town, taking Sheffield on my 
route. Arriving at the station, I found aunt Smith, uncle John, and his 
lady, in waiting for me. After a most cordial greeting we proceeded to Ar- 
thur Smith's, at Sunny Bar, where I partook of some refreshments, and 
then sallied forth with uncle John to see the place. We visited the old 
church where you worshiped in childhood, saw the house in which you 
were born, the residence of grandma from which you went when you were 
married, aunt Elenor's former home, called upon her brother, Dr. Murray, 
and had some conversation with him, continued our walk as far as the cele- 
brated Doncaster race- course, looked at the deaf and dumb institution in 
the immediate vicinity, and about six o'clock returned to Sunny Bar. For- 
getting the copse of trees, or rather the name of the place which aunt men- 
tioned, I plucked a few sprigs of grass from a plot in front of the old home, 
and also secured a few leaves from some shrubbery immediately before the 
house in which you were living at the time of 3'our marriage. 

'• In the evening we had a family party at aunt Smith's. All the sons ex- 
cept Theophilus were present, and until two o'clock the following morning 
we remained together enjoying familiar conversation. They are a noble set, 
treated me like a prince, and would only part with me on Saturday morn- 



144 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ing with the promise that I would endeavor to visit them again. I was 
particularly pleased with uncle John : he is affable, gentlemanly, very intel- 
ligent, consistently pious, and exceedingly affectionate. * * * I shall have 
much to tell you about Doncaster upon my return, a town I have been 
better pleased with than any I have seen in England yet ; indeed, the road 
in the direction of the race-course, with its noble trees and splendid resi- 
dences, is almost unsurpassed by any thing I have ever seen. 

" On Saturday I returned to Hull, and yesterday preached in Great 
Thornton Street to overflowing houses. In the evening I think there were 
at least 3000 people in the chapel, and multitudes went away who could 
not even obtain a foothold. They had me the day before placarded upon 
the public corners and in the shop-windows, ' Rev. Alfred Cookman, of Phil- 
adelphia, Sir,' etc., will preach at such a time. * * * In the morning they 
wept all over the house. Some shouted. I was blessed, and indeed we 
had a gracious waiting together. I am sure I never preached better than 
at night ; much feeling was evinced, and I trust that the great day will re- 
veal the result of my yesterday's labors. As I pass through the streets, 
they point at me and say, 'There he goes; that is Mr. Cookman's Amer- 
ican grandson.' Aunt Holmes, who you know is exceedingly prudent, 
said to me that I ought to come to England, for at the present juncture they 
needed some like me. You can have no idea of the respect which is paid 
and the affection which is manifested toward me. Grandfather heard me 
twice yesterday, and appeared highly delighted. The old gentleman is in 
good spirits. His friends think that my visit at this time is a Godsend, 
for it has had a most reviving influence upon him, who previously seemed 
quite depressed. He is a noble man. Every hour serves to increase my 
love and respect. This morning I visited the tomb of my grandma Cook- 
man and uncle Alfred, under the Waltham Street Chapel. By-the-way, they 
(the authorities) wish me to re-open the chapel for them next Sabbath 
week. Do not know but I shall comply." 

He was next to enjoy what, to every Anglo-American and to 
every American Methodist, is one of the richest treats which can 
possibly be afforded— the sight of London, and the sight of the 
British Wesleyan Conference. To a young man whose reading 
has been chiefly in the English classics, in the history and po- 
etry of Britain, until the names of her authors and of the places 
of their resort, have become household words, it is a source of 
inexpressible pleasure to look upon their very haunts — the 



T.IE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE. PARLIAMENT. 145 



streets where they walked, the inns they frequented, the favor- 
ite nooks where they loved to linger. And to one imbued with 
the spirit and traditions of John Wesley, nothing could be more 
inspiring than to touch the institutions, to see and hear the men 
to whom he had transmitted his wisdom and power. All this 
was the more enjoyable to Alfred Cookman because the teach- 
ings of his father and the presence of his father's friends im- 
parted a realness to every thing about him. These condi- 
tions, added to his own enthusiastic nature, transferred him 
into the very heart of all he saw and heard. 
To his mother : 

"London, August 16, 1850. 

" I leave this populous city in a few minutes for Hull, and yet I can not 
consent to quit its precincts without penning you a short note, especially as 
this will be the last opportunity of writing by to-morrow's steamer. I have 
now been spending one entire week in London, the heart of the world. I 
have seen and heard much which it will be vain for me to attempt to detail 
at this time and under present circumstances. Grandfather met me here last 
Monday evening, and we have been spending our time together very pleas- 
antly. I have been honored with a seat on the platform of the British Con- 
ference, have been treated with the utmost respect and affection by the dif- 
ferent preachers, have heard many of them in debate, and last Sabbath 
enjoyed the gratification of listening to Dr. Bunting in the morning and Dr. 
Dixon in the evening. Yesterday I saw the royal procession for the pur- 
pose of proroguing Parliament — Her Majesty Queen Victoria, His High- 
ness Prince Albert, dukes, duchesses, etc., etc. All the public institutions, 
such as the British Museum, Bank of England, Tower of London, etc., I 
have visited. Oh, it will take me a week to tell you about my sojourn in 
this city of cities ! On my way here I spent about a day and a half with 
aunt Townsend in Bristol. * * * She studied my happiness, and did all in 
her power to render my visit pleasant. 

"Next Sabbath I preach at Kingston Chapel, Hull, in the morning, ad- 
dress the Sabbath-school in the afternoon, and preach for grandfather at his 
church, viz., the Tabernacle, in the evening. You will say, 'Too bad — too 
bad ! gone for rest, and yet performing usual labor.' Well, I will be care- 
ful, and spare myself as much as possible. You have no idea what a sensa- 
tion I have produced in my father's native town. 

G 



146 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



" I shall not get to France. Grandfather seems anxious that I should be 
with him, and, as I have only a short time longer in England, I suppose 
I must forego the trip and gratify him. Perhaps at some future day I shall 
enjoy the opportunity. I should like to write more, but have not the 
time. We must now start for the cars. God bless you. I think of you all, 
morning, noon, and night. Oh, how much I have to tell you all ! If you 
were with me, my pleasure would be complete." 

To his mother : 

" Stepney Lodge, August 19, 1850. 

* * * "On Friday morning last, in company with my grandfather, I left 
great London, and set out for Hull. Early in the evening we reached our place 
of destination, and as we passed through the streets found that handbills had 
been printed and posted up, announcing that I would preach on the Sab- 
bath. This is something so new to me, so different from our plan across the 
water, that I acknowledge it does not strike me favorably. At Stepney we 
found Cartwright, the housekeeper, quite well, and all things pretty much 
the same as when we left. On Saturday I of course began to think about 
my Sabbath duties and exercises. After determining on my subjects, I went 
down to uncle Holmes's, and spent an hour or two most delightfully with 
John, Annie, and aunt Smith, who is keeping house for them during the ab- 
sence of her sister. I took with me your very beautiful and affectionate let- 
ter, and ventured to read the greater part of it to them, as I did also to 
grandfather. The reference to little John's success was most touching, and 
served to draw tears from many eyes. Let me most sincerely congratulate 
him on his triumphant admission into the high-school, and at the same time 
express the hope that his future course will be marked by as much devotion 
to study, as much honorable and rapid advancement, as has his past career 
in connection with Zane Street. The allusion in your letter was the more 
interesting from the fact that we sometimes tease Annie Holmes about John 
Emory. She is a pretty, amiable, affectionate girl of thirteen, quite large 
for her age, and I am sure that a sight of her would be attended with danger 
to any of my susceptible brothers. From the daguerreotype she seems to 
have taken quite a fancy to John ; hence the tormenting she suffers. 

" Well, to continue my narrative, Saturday passed away, Sunday came. 
Arm-in-arm my grandfather and I proceeded to Kingston Chapel, a most 
commodious, elegant, and comfortable place, capable of accommodating be- 
tween three and four thousand people. We found it crowded, and I proceed- 
ed in my old style (for any other suits me as well as Saul's armor did David) 
to represent the Christian warrior, his enemies, duties, and triumphs. God 



PREACHING AT HULL. 



147 



owned and blessed the word, and notes of joy were heard in our camp. In 
the afternoon I addressed the Sabbath-school in the same church, and cer- 
tainly I witnessed one of the most beautiful and gratifying spectacles that I 
could possibly have looked upon. The immense gallery, fifteen or sixteen 
pews deep, was filled all around with well-behaved children ; the lower floor 
was crowded even in the aisles with their parents, as well as the friends of 
the institution. Oh, it was a glorious, a memorable occasion ! I did myself 
full justice, and the people seemed more than gratified. In the evening I 
preached in the Tabernacle. * * * I have in my short life seen dense 
crowds, but I am sure that I never saw any thing to equal the congrega- 
tion last night. It was one unwieldy mass of human beings, almost piled 
one on top of another, and hundreds, I am told, went away who could not 
obtain even a foothold. 

" I chose as my subject the Great Supper, and preached, I hope, in dem- 
onstration of the spirit and with power. I felt that my arm was strong, 
and that by the help of God a blow must be struck. At the close of the 
service a number came forward to the altar as penitents, and I left with 
the soldiers of Christ in possession of the field. Will you believe me if I 
tell you that I could scarce walk home. I had let out every link of my 
chain, and I had hardly strength left to stand. However, here I am this 
morning, a little mondayish, it is true, but by nightfall I expect to be as 
bright and vigorous as ever. Grandfather seems quite delighted with my 
efforts, but tells me I will kill myself, and that I must not be so lavish of 
my strength and voice. 

"As I intimated in my letter written in London, I fear I will not get to 
Tar is this time. Grandfather seems anxious to have me with him during 
the remainder of my stay in England, and I suppose that, in view of his ad- 
vanced age, he must be gratified in this. Perhaps in a very few years an- 
other opportunity will offer, and then I can travel somewhat upon the 
Continent. I have been making some inquiries about the Southampton 
steamers, and I think that there is no one to start about the time I want 
to go home. I have seen England, talked with my grandfather and other 
relatives, and now I begin to feel as if it were my duty to get back to my 
field of labor again. I know exactly how they are situated, and am sure 
that the interests of both appointments would be subserved by my return. 
Early in September, then, I expect to turn my face homeward. So look out 
for me about the 20th or 25th. At every step in Hull I meet with the 
former friends and acquaintances of my beloved parents. Some of them 
weep when they see me, others manifest great pleasure, and refer with en- 
thusiasm to their former acquaintance with my father and mother. One 



i 4 8 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



attended the same school with them, another went a-fishing, and a third was 
,a bosom friend. Dr. McClintock and myself stayed at the same place in 
London, went to see the lions together, and enjoyed much pleasant inter- 
course. 

" I preach to-night (Tuesday) at Kingston ; next Sabbath at Waltham and 
-Thornton Streets." 

To his mother : 

"Stepney Lodge, Hull, August 23, 1850. 

" Thus far, I believe, every steamer which has left England for America 
since my arrival here has borne a letter to those at home. To-morrow is 
the regular day for the departure of one of the Cunard line, and although I 
have written once this week, yet I can not consent to let this opportunity 
pass without dispatching you at least a few lines. My health since I have 
been in England has continued quite good, and my enjoyment has exceeded 
my most sanguine expectations. The comforts by which I have been sur- 
rounded, the exceedingly affectionate attentions of different friends, as well 
as the continual feast of vision with which I have been providentially fa- 
vored, all have conspired to render the last six weeks the happiest period 
of my life. The country presents the appearance of an extensive garden, 
separated for convenience sake into small fields by beautiful green hedges. 
Indeed, I know of no feature in the natural scenery of England which will 
sooner strike the traveler's eye than the neat and well-trimmed hedges which 
are every where to be seen. The foliage of the trees, too, as well as the verd- 
ure of the fields, is much richer and more elegant than any thing we see in 
America. This is owing to the humidity of the atmosphere, as well as to 
the absence of that intense heat which so often with us exerts a blighting 
influence on all natural objects. Some of the landscapes here are surpass- 
ingly beautiful ; perhaps there is not that wildness in the scenery that we 
have with us, but there is a cultivation "and variety, together with a pict- 
uresque appearance and classic interest, which never fails to please the eye 
and captivate the heart. 

" In the distance, for instance, upon the summit of a noble hill, you dis- 
cover, surrounded by towering trees, some old castle which has stood for 
centuries, and which, crumbling under the influence of time, occupied only 
by the owl and the bat, remains as a monument of former times. Not 
far off you perceive a comfortable -looking farm-house; a noble lawn in 
front, and a highly cultivated garden in the rear. Around you see the dif- 
ferent fields. In one, perhaps, the cattle are quietly grazing ; in another la- 
borers are diligently engaged in securing the golden harvest ; while in a 



ENGLISH SCENERY. — FURTHER SUCCESS. 



149 



third the little lambs skip in every direction, as if almost intoxicated with joy. 
Away in the horizon is a flourishing town (England abounds in towns), 
which always has its church built in the Gothic style, and whose glittering 
spire, like a golden finger, points toward heaven, as if it would direct the 
minds of the people thitherward. While gazing upon the scene, diversified 
with fields and forests, noblemen's mansions and laborers' cottages, gray and 
gloomy castles, as well as chaste and cheerful village churches, you are sud- 
denly startled by the whiz of a locomotive, which, with its train, like a rush- 
ing comet, in the twinkling of an eye disappears in a damp and gloomy tun- 
nel; then emerging .passes over the massy stone bridge of a quiet stream, 
and, after darting about among the hills for a moment, is lost to view. I 
did not know when I attempted this description that I should have covered 
so large a portion of my sheet, and yet I am sure that, if I had done the pict- 
ure justice, it would require more space and time than I at the present 
could conveniently or possibly employ. Any thing further of the same nature 
I will have to postpone until my return to your delightful society. 

" On Tuesday evening, according to appointment, I preached in Kingston 
Chapel to at least three thousand people. God was pleased to own and bless 
His Word, delivered in an humble dependence upon the energizing influences 
of the Holy Spirit, for at the close of the services, during a prayer-meeting 
which was held, about forty individuals presented themselves at the altar, 
desiring an interest in the prayers of God's people. Wednesday night I 
blew my trumpet in old George Yard, where Wesley, Benson, and my be- 
loved father have been heard, with pleasure and profit. Again our altar 
was more than crowded with those inquiring their way to Zion. Last night 
I preached in the Tabernacle to a congregation literally wedged together. 
The crowd I think was even greater than on last Sunday evening. I never 
saw a more attentive, solemn, and feeling auditory. We had seekers all 
around our altar as well as in the vestry. Not unto me, O Lord, but unto 
Thy name be all the glory. Who knows but that a kind Providence, who 
thus far has most delightfully opened my way before me, has determined to 
honor my visit by giving me souls for my hire and seals to my ministry. If 
there should be only one who, in the great day of final retribution, shall as- 
cribe to my instrumentality his or her salvation, I shall be more than com- 
pensated for the time spent or the money expended in my visit to the 
United Kingdom. 

" On Sabbath I am to be at Waltham Street in the morning, and at 
Thornton Street at night. Oh that the God of my father would be present 
to wound and to heal ! I fear I shall not see aunt Holmes before my re- 
turn. She continues at Swanage, and uncle doubts whether they will get 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



back before my departure. I have had many very, very pleasant interviews 
with aunt Smith. Yesterday she took me to see Mr. and Mrs. Morley, who 
now reside in Hull. They referred to you in the most affectionate manner." 

From Mrs. Smith, of Hull, to Mrs. Mary Cookman : 

" Hull, August 28, 1850. 

" My dearest Mary, — Many of my correspondents complain, and not 
without just cause, that I have degenerated in regular correspondence. * * * 
And now, my beloved Mary, I congratulate you on being blessed with such a 
son. If he is a specimen of the other members of your family, those relatives 
who live to welcome them as they may come to visit England have a rich 
treat in store. I say I expected to see a nice, intelligent young man, but I had 
not raised my expectations to the reality. Not one of your family rejoices 
more that he has come over than myself. I have such a delightful picture 
in my mind of the union betwixt the families on this side and beyond the 
Atlantic as I can not describe ; there was a break in the chain, but now we 
seem firmly linked together. I feel we are all one, and bound together by 
indissoluble ties. Oh ! we are sorry to let him leave us, and we are not 
alone. How many in Hull will have to praise God for his visit ! They 
have said, 'Can't you use influence for him to remain in Hull another 
month ?' with much more. I could only silence them by assuring them it was 
impossible ; we had received that morning a schedule of his berth, which 
was taken in the steamer Asia. He leaves behind him a name, but, what 
is of far more worth, many, many seals to his ministry. Any one but him- 
self would be in danger from popularity ; when any thing is said in his praise 
to his grandfather, he replies, ' Oh, he owes much to his mother ; I always 
had a very high opinion of her judgment, attention, and piety.' It gladdens 
my heart to hear him. 

" I walked with Alfred one morning to introduce him to old Mr. Morley, 
who desired he would pray with him ere he left the manse. I stayed a 
little time after his departure to his grandfather. Mr. Morley was obliged 
to leave the room, and go into another to give vent to a flood of tears ere 
he could converse with me, and on his return every other subject was ban- 
ished except you and yours, and the pleasure he had in your society when 
he lived in Fishergate. My dear sister Holmes mourns her absence from 
home at this time. I reap the benefit, for I might have been in another 
part of the country in ignorance of my loss. I do, indeed, praise God for 
my present privileges ; and I feel no doubt but that Mrs. H. is in her prov- 
idential path, for, to use her own words, ' However dear Alfred is, Thomas 
is dearer, and has the first claim on my consideration.' 



FRANKNESS. ORDER OF PREACHING. 151 

" As I have sat under Alfred's ministry, I have recalled the instrument in 
God's hand of leading me to Himself, and then was filled with praise that an 
insignificant being like myself should be the first link in the glorious chain ; 
and when I saw the altar rails crowded with penitents, my heart leaped with 
joy, my heart burned within me, and I thought what glorious results might 
arise from one of the least being savingly converted to God." 

This letter very appropriately closes the correspondence 
touching the visit to England. His letters, written with so 
much frankness,, the outpourings of a faithful son's heart to his 
devoted mother, give ample incidental proof of the wide-spread, 
popular, and useful influence of his pulpit exercises. The testi- 
monies of his cousin and aunt abundantly confirm this inci- 
dental revelation. The aunt acknowledges any one but himself 
would have been in danger from such popularity. Such un- 
bounded enthusiasm over so young a man was well calculated to 
turn his head ; but it does not seem to have affected him beyond 
exciting a devout recognition of God's goodness, and pleasure 
at the gratification he thought it would afford his loving mother. 
Then as always there was, to all appearances at least, a sweet 
absence of egotism, a simple unconsciousness of the incense of 
praise which was ever rising in his presence. His absorbing 
purpose was to win souls to Christ. For his success in " slay- 
ing sinners," in receiving the gratitude and applause of the 
people, he ascribed all the glory to God. 

Three features crop out in these letters. The character of his 
preaching, already substantially formed, and which he calls "his 
own" — pictorial or dramatic representation — is seen in the ac- 
count of some of his sermons ; the tireless zeal for work, unable 
to rest without work, and uniting with his recreations ceaseless 
preaching; and also we hear of him for the first time before an 
audience of children, a direction in his ministry in which he 
was afterward to acquire. such remarkable facility and success. 



CHAPTER X. 



HOME AGAIN. MARRIAGE. — MINISTRY AT WEST CHESTER AND 

HARRISBURG, PA. 

The early autumn found him at his post in Kensington, 
preaching to large congregations, and attending to all pastoral 
work with fresh delight and diligence. Of course the little 
family group on Race Street was frequently visited. He had 
come back filled with beautiful thoughts and recollections, 
which it was his joy to communicate to those who were as dear 
to him as his own life. Much, however, as he enjoyed the 
pastimes of home, he did not neglect the duties of his charge 
— his hours were full of useful occupation. Thus busily em- 
ployed, the autumn and winter glided away, and the session of 
the Conference approached. 

A few extracts from his correspondence while stationed at 
Kensington are sufficient to show the zealous spirit with which 
he was animated : 

"January 14, 1850. 
" On Sabbath I preached both morning and evening to excellent congre- 
gations. God was eminently with me on both occasions. At night I was 
uncommonly assisted : an unusual seriousness pervaded the assembly, some 
came forward to the altar, and I trust that eternity will alone reveal the ex- 
tensive good done. Last evening I preached with much liberty ; more 
knelt at our altar than on the previous night, numbers in the congregation 
wept freely, and we are encouraged to look for better times. I do most 
earnestly desire to be a successful minister of the New Testament. While 
I experience an unceasing love for my honorable and responsible work, at 
the same time I would perceive a. corresponding influence attending my la- 
bors. Oh, that God would constitute me a chosen instrument of good to 
those among whom I may toil from time to time !" 



WORK AT HOME. MARRIAGE. I 53 

" January 6, 1S51. 

"Last Sabbath, the first Sunday of the new year, I preached in Kensing- 
ton morning and evening on the subject of the Judgment I have rarely ad- 
dressed more attentive and solemn congregations. God was eminently with 
me on both occasions. At the conclusion of the evening service we entered 
heartily into a prayer -meeting. In exhortation I felt as if I was only the 
speaking-trumpet of Jehovah. Almost immediately twelve approached our 
altar, all very interesting cases ; a number professed to experience peace, 
and before ten P. M. we had the shout of the King in our camp. To God 
be all the glory." 

" February, 1851. 

M In Philadelphia a good feeling seems to prevail at almost even- appoint- 
ment. Trinity, the church where our family worship, has been catching 
some of the descending drops. Little sister professes to have experienced 
peace, and has joined the Church ; she seems to be as firm as an ocean rock. 
There are only two now of our family who remain without the pale of the 
Church, viz., George and Will, and we are praying and confidently hoping 
that very soon they will become the subjects of saving grace. On Sunday I 
preached three times, twice to immense congregations in Kensington, and 
in the afternoon at Fifth Street to a very full house. This evening we re- 
new the battle, and expect that our efforts will be more signally blessed in 
the salvation of priceless souls. My heart is in the work. I glory in being 
permitted to head the sacramental host in the assaults upon the strong- 
holds of the wicked one."' 

" February, 1S51. 

" Certainly there is no enjoyment at all comparable with that experienced 
by those who possess a divine testimony that they have been introduced 
into the family of Heaven, and as the object of their Father's approba- 
tion and love. Oh ! let us be ambitious to possess all the mind which 
was in Christ Jesus our Lord, for even,- day only serves more to satisfy me 
that decided and devout spirituality and supreme religious enjoyment are 
twin sisters. God has joined them together, and it is impossible for man 
to tear them asunder." 

On the 6th of March, 1S51, Mr. Cookman was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Annie E., daughter of Mr. Abraham Bruner, of 
Columbia. Pa., by the Rev. William Urie, of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. Previously to the marriage he wrote to Miss 
Bruner : 

G 2 



i54 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



"From the commencement of my religious course I have felt anxious to 
commit my all into God's gracious care and keeping, that I might be guided 
and cared for by His infinite wisdom. In the matter of marriage, above all 
others, I have been desirous that He should rule and overrule ; indeed, I 
have incorporated this in all my private addresses to a Throne of Grace. 
In looking back upon the past I think I am prepared to say, ' He hath done 
all things well,' and in all my associations with you can most distinctly per- 
ceive the hand of an overruling Providence. I desire to be unfeignedly 
grateful to my Heavenly Father for this and any other manifestation of His 
tender care and watchful love, and in the strength of grace would solemnly 
promise Him to be more devoted to His glorious cause in all future time." 

As evidence of the happiness which crowned this union, and 
also of the pleasant and delicate way in which he ever mani- 
fested his affection for his wife, I anticipate by some years the 
following effusion, written at the close of his pastoral term at 
Union Church, Philadelphia, 1861 : 

" This day completes the first decade of my married life. On the 6th of 
March, 185 1, 1 linked my fortunes with those of my dearly beloved wife, and 
now on the tenth anniversary of our blessed union I would record my grati- 
tude to Almighty God, whose kind providence gave and hath preserved to 
me one so well deserving the name of 'help-meet.' 

" Our life, made up of fidelity and love, has been like a deepening and 
widening stream, upon which we have floated together in delightful harmo- 
ny. Our home, with its five little buds of beauty and promise, has been an 
Eden spot, where our Infinite Father, who dwelt with the first pair in Para- 
dise, has vouchsafed us His constant presence. Oh, how much of pure love 
and true joy have been compressed within these ten years — the happiest ten 
years of my life ! Accept, my precious Annie, this humble but sincere testi- 
mony to your thoughtful care, constant kindness, unsullied goodness, untir- 
ing fidelity, and uninterrupted, aye, increasing devotion. 

" We have lived and loved together thus long — and now on this anniversa- 
ry day let us, in token of our gratitude to God and our affection for one anoth- 
er, build a pillar of witness. It shall be composed of these ten stones, one for 
each year of our married life : Love — Truth — Purity — Kindness — Fi- 
delity — Sincerity — Constancy — Thankfulness — Holiness— Christ 
the Foundation Stone. 

" This is the altar upon which we will renew our vows 4 to love, comfort, 
honor, and keep one another so long as we both shall live.' " 



HOUSEKEEPING. WEST CHESTER, PA. 



155 



Within a few weeks after the marriage Mr. Cookman was ap- 
pointed to the charge of West Chester station. West Chester 
is the county town of Chester County, about thirty miles from 
Philadelphia, and beautifully situated in a rich farming district, 
which was settled originally almost wholly by Quakers. The 
town has long been noted for the thrift, intelligence, and sobri- 
ety of its inhabitants. The Methodist Church there was not 
strong either in wealth or numbers, but the members, feeling 
themselves highly favored by Mr. Cookman's appointment, re- 
solved to do the best they could to render him and his bride 
comfortable and happy. On the evening of their arrival they 
were welcomed to their new home — the house having been put 
in order, and tea being spread for their entertainment. The 
young minister and his youthful wife were at once put at their 
ease — a cozy, genial feeling suffused their hearts ; they began 
the first evening to love their new people, and continued to 
love them to the end. A little kindness shown to a pastor upon 
his first appearance in a new charge goes far to render all the 
days spent in the charge pleasant and useful ; while the neg- 
lect of it, though it may be from thoughtlessness, causes a chill 
which it takes many days of kindness to overcome. 

Mr. Cookman, accustomed hitherto to look up to a head 
for direction and support, was now thrown wholly on his own 
resources. He knew where was the source of power — the 
Throne of Grace — and resorting to it, he obtained help of 
God. His preaching from the opening Sunday attracted gen- 
eral attention. His fame had preceded him, and very soon 
his church was crowded, not only by the Methodists and their 
immediate sympathizers, but also by the elite of the neigh- 
borhood. The "Friends" were charmed by the spirituality of 
his sermons and the godly simplicity of his manners. He be- 
came the central figure of the religious community, and all 
eyes and hearts were turned toward him ; his influence grew 
day by day, and his ascendency over the minds of > the people 



iS6 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



became in a short time such as no other minister had attained 
in years. 

With a laudable ambition for success, and an earnest zeal for 
the divine glory, he was a man full of work, spending the fore- 
noons of the day in the study and the afternoons in pastoral 
visitation, and mingling socially with all classes of the people 
and with all denominations of Christians. The sociability and 
catholicity which so distinguished his father, and which subse- 
quently became so pre-eminent in him, began already to be seen 
as traits of character. Effective and popular as he was in the 
pulpit, he did not depend wholly upon the efforts of the Sabbath 
to accomplish the work of God, but was incessant in his atten- 
tions to the members of the congregation in the private walks 
of life. There was no element of power which he did not seek 
thus early to subordinate to the efficiency of his ministry. But 
while absorbingly devoted to his own charge and to the work 
which lay directly before him, it was not possible for one of such 
gifts, whose family name was talismanic in all the churches, and 
whose personal reputation was already wide-spread, to escape 
constant appeals from far and near for special services in the 
way of sermons and addresses. 

The following letters to his young friend, Andrew Longacre, 
give a faint idea of the intensity and extensiveness of his la- 
bors. As will be seen, his summer vacation in 185 1 was spent 
in attendance upon various camp-meetings. He went rapidly 
from one to another of these gatherings, and preached to the 
delight and edification of the masses who frequented them. A 
strange way to take vacation ! And yet the habit adopted thus 
early in his career continued uniformly through life ; his month 
for relaxation, instead of being spent in the recreations of inno- 
cent pastimes or sports, in absolute desistance from his cus- 
tomary home work and excitements, was usually absorbed in 
the most active and taxing exercises. The change of scene, the 
bodily movement, the forming of new acquaintances, the free, 



ENCOURAGING WORDS. 



157 



joyous mingling with his ministerial brethren, the ever-fresh 
inspirations which such associations evoked, but, above all, the 
opportunity of working for the Master on a wide-spread scale — 
these were considerations which controlled and sustained his 
choice. 

To Mr. Andrew Longacre, of Philadelphia : 

"West Chester, September 5,1851. 

* * * "Believe me that my silence has not been occasioned by any dimi- 
nution of kindly or. affectionate feeling, but purely by the force of circum- 
stances. As you are aware, I have been away from my charge for the last 
few weeks, and during most of my absence have been so circumstanced as 
to render letter-writing a matter of absolute impossibility-. In the provi- 
dence of God, I have been permitted to return to my field of labor, and very 
gladly avail myself of a little leisure to communicate with one for whom I 
have long entertained the sincerest regard. Your prosperity has always 
greatly interested me. Believing that God had endued you with very con- 
siderable talent, satisfied that you possessed in no small degree the grace 
of the Holy Spirit, I thought that in a more public sphere you might better 
promote the glory of God and subserve the interests of His Church ; hence 
my strong desire and earnest entreaty that you should prayerfully consider 
the important work of the Christian ministry. The subsequent develop- 
ments of divine Brovidence have, I think, most clearly proved that the im- 
pression which induced me to single you cut for this sphere was directed 
from heaven. Perhaps you may be disposed to think that I am writing too 
plainly when I make allusion to your gifts and graces. Believe me, I am 
perfectly sincere, and express myself in this undisguised way from a firm 
conviction that many young men suffer more from depression than elation 
of spirits. From a fear of adding fuel to the flame of vanity, encouragement 
is often withheld, while the individual is writhing under the influence of de- 
spondency and despair. I believe in my soul this is wrong, and, as a gen- 
eral thing, I make it a rule to repeat to the person referred to any thing 
commendatory which I may have heard. This is a privilege which becomes 
a feast for my own soul, while at the same time it is intended to stimulate 
and encourage the one addressed. 

" Most sincerely do I rejoice in your success, and as earnestly do I pray 
that God may bless you with that measure of health and strength which shall 
fully fit you for the earnest and successful prosecution of your ministerial 
labors. During the summer I attended five camp-meetings, preaching fre- 
quently and laboring arduously. I greatly regretted my inability to reach 



i58 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Red Lion, which ground I have not visited for two years. My valise was 
packed and arrangements made to start, but at the last moment I concluded 
that I would yield to the solicitations of Peninsula friends, who positively 
insisted upon my tarrying longer in that region. God seemed to own and 
bless my feeble endeavors, so that I would fain believe my course was over- 
ruled for good. I trust that the meeting at Red Lion, like many which have 
preceded it in that forest, proved both pleasant and profitable. I enjoyed 
for a day or two its counterpart on the Shrewsbury Circuit, where there were 
upward of three hundred tents and any number of Baltimoreans. At pres- 
ent I am enjoying my happy and comfortable home — a very little paradise. 
When will you come and participate in its pleasures ? I can promise you a 
cordial welcome and hospitable treatment. Next week I desire, if possible, 
to spend a day or two with mother, whom I have not seen for many weeks. 
Perhaps you may be in the city then, and I may enjoy a personal interview, 
which, after all, is infinitely preferable to pen-and-ink communication." 

To the Rev. Andrew Longacre : 

"West Chester, January 10, 1852. 

* * * « On Thursday evening we crossed our own threshold and sat down 
again at home. Your letter was of course carefully read, and its urgent re- 
quest duly considered. Will you believe me when I say that nothing at the 
present would afford me more pleasure than to spend a week with old and 
cherished friends on Chestnut Hill. Indeed, I would, if it were at all pos- 
sible, strain a point and neglect something else that I might serve you. I 
appreciate your situation, and would feel it a privilege to go to your help, 
but I am under obligations to go to Wilmington next week, and as I have 
been absent from my people for some time, and expect to leave them again 
shortly, I fear that it will be out of my power to render you this desired serv- 
ice. Indeed, I have almost concluded to commence a series of meetings 
here about week after next, so ,that my way seems to be entirely blocked up. 

" I would not have you think that I esteem Chestnut Hill so insignificant a 
spot as not to merit my notice or efforts, for I speak truthfully when I say 
that, as it towers above the neighboring hills, and indeed deserves the title 
' Prince of Hills,' so among the many places I have been privileged to visit, 
I know of few, if any, which stand as high in my affections. May God sig- 
nally own and bless your proposed effort, and grant that, in a moral as well 
as in a natural point of view, it may become one of the most desirable and 
delightful spots on God's great footstool. You have my sympathies, prayers, 
and should have my feeble efforts if I had not previously engaged to help 
Dr. Hodgson early in the new year." 



LITERARY ADDRESS AT WILLIAMSPORT. 



159 



It appears from this letter that his friend, to whom in the 
former letter he had written such encouraging words, had him- 
self begun preaching, and was making his first efforts at circuit 
work. To the request for help, Mr. Cookman found it difficult 
to say no, and nothing but previous engagements prevented his 
yielding. The disposition to oblige every body, to answer to 
every call for assistance, was strong in his nature ; and while it 
may have interrupted his habits of self-culture and systematic 
study, it yet extended his influence by constantly enlarging his 
acquaintance among the churches. Among the excursions from 
home was one on a literary errand— probably the first of its kind 
— to Dickinson Seminary, located at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. 
The following letter to his wife discloses a little of the anxiety 
of the young orator, but more of the joy of the young father : 

"Williamsport, Monday noon. 
" I have a leisure moment which shall be devoted to a family correspond- 
ence. After bidding you farewell I returned to my lonely home, and pro- 
ceeded to change and finish my address. This accomplished, I arranged 
my matters, and, joining Professor Wentworth, returned to the depot. We 
dined with your friend H , and started about one o'clock. A long, tedi- 
ous ride in the canal-boat brought us to Williamsport about half-past twelve 
on Saturday. General Packer met me at the boat, and is entertaining Broth- 
er Myers and myself most elegantly. Our home is the head-quarters in the 
town. Yesterday we had three services, Professor Wentworth preaching in 
the morning and your humble servant in the evening. All went off satis- 
factorily. The officers of the institution and the people of the town are 
more than kind, offering me every attention. I deliver my address this even- 
ing. Can not tell how it will take. The examinations are progressing, and 
will not be concluded before Wednesday. I find that I will not be able to 
get home before Friday. How is my precious Bruner ? Dear little duck, 
I have him and his mother in my mind almost constantly. Kiss him over 
and over and over again for his absent pa." 

With all these engagements, the duties of his pastorate were 
not neglected. The protracted meeting at which he hints was 
soon begun, and resulted in a general and thorough revival of 
religion, the fruits of which remain to this day. 



l6o LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 

At the ensuing session of the Conference — spring of 1852 — 
he was elected to elders' orders, and ordained by Bishop Janes, 
and re-appointed to West Chester. His work this year was but 
a continuation of that of the preceding. The revival did not 
spend itself, but progressed through all the months, marked 
more by the universal quickening and growth of believers than 
by the multiplication of converts. The probationers were in- 
structed and thoroughly drilled in the methods of a godly 
life. And yet a large number of persons professed conver- 
sion during the last months of his ministry. In the families 
of Judges L and D , and many others, he was emi- 
nently useful, and his name is revered as a household word. 
Miss Annie Lewis, afterward the wife of the Rev. Dr. Erastus 
Wentworth, whose beautiful life closed so early in China, was 
one of those whose character he greatly assisted to fashion. 
But I will allow the Rev. W. C. Best, of West Chester, to testify 
of the permanent good accomplished during these years : 

" Mr. Cookman and his wife were received with open arms 
and warm hearts, for his reputation as a man of humble piety 
and a minister of uncommon ability had preceded him. He at 
once took a position in the community, and fully retained it 
until his removal, such as none of his predecessors had enjoyed. 
He found a church embarrassed with a debt of three thousand 
dollars of ten years' standing, very much in need of repairs, 
and with a small number of members, and they by no means 
wealthy. During his term of service he not only put the church 
in thorough repair, but paid off the entire debt. He found here 
but one hundred and fifty-two members. At the end of his 
first year he returned one hundred and seventy members, and 
seventy-five probationers. At the end of his second year he 
reported two hundred and twenty-five full members, and twen- 
ty-six probationers. The church was always full when Brother 
Cookman was to preach. He had larger regular congregations 
than any of our ministers have preached to here, either before 



STABLE RESULTS OF HIS EARLY MINISTRY. l6l 

or since, with perhaps a single exception, and that was during 
the war. 

" He was as popular in other churches as in his own. Every 
body loved him, and spoke of him as the lovely, eloquent Cook- 
man. His popularity in the town may be judged of from the 
number of marriages he was called upon to perform. Though 
the town was small, and the society weak, he married almost as 
many in the two years as were married in the past five years, 
though the town and society have largely increased in numbers. 
Of those converted under his ministry there was much of stable 
material. One minister (Rev. Thomas Poulson), two of the 
members of the present board of trustees, and several others 
of the present efficient workers in our Church, were part of the 
fruit of his labor. This fruit, remaining after the lapse of twen- 
ty years, certainly speaks favorably of the character of the re- 
vivals had under his ministry. It is but fair to state that Broth- 
er Cookman gave an impulse and position to Methodism in 
West Chester such as it never had, and we still enjoy the bene- 
fits thereof. Though twenty years have rolled away since he 
labored here, his name is still like 'precious ointment poured 
forth,' and his memory is deeply revered by all who knew him. 
He is still called the most popular preacher of any denomina- 
tion that ever statedly ministered in West Chester. It is diffi- 
cult to decide which was the stronger attraction for the people, 
his unassuming piety and sweet, loving spirit, or his thrilling 
eloquence that so enchained the multitudes." 

The session of the Philadelphia Conference in 1853 was held 
at Harrisburg, the capital of the State of Pennsylvania. Mr. 
Cookman's term had expired at W 7 est Chester, and in the course 
of the administration he must be sent to a new charge. He 
was undoubtedly the most popular young minister in the Con- 
ference. Several prominent churches within his Conference, 
and some from beyond it, applied for his services ; among them 
none pressed its claims with more persistence than the Locust 



162 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Street Church, Harrisburg, the seat of the Conference. The 
members of this charge were on the spot ; they had generously 
opened their homes for the entertainment of the preachers. 
Their suit prevailed; and when the appointments were an- 
nounced, and Alfred Cookman was read out for Locust Street, 
the crowded audience burst into a tumult of applause. 

There could have been no situation better suited to promote 
Mr. Cookman's self-development and to extend his influence 
than this appointment. The borough of Harrisburg, contain- 
ing about 8000 inhabitants, was beautifully located on the east 
side of the Susquehanna River, and, as the capital of the state, 
was a point where controlling business and political interests 
concentrated. In the winter time the Legislature drew together 
not only the members of the state government, but also lead- 
ing men having ends to accomplish with the government. The 
Locust Street Church was conveniently located, and very soon 
his zeal and eloquence attracted general attention. He was 
elected chaplain of the House of Delegates, was selected to 
offer the prayer at the inauguration of Governor Bigler, and at 
this early age obtained relatively as great an ascendency over 
the prominent politicians and the community at Harrisburg as 
his father had previously done over all classes at Washington. 
The following notice of his preaching, from one of the Harris- 
burg papers, shows the estimate in which he w T as held : 

"Eloquent Sermon. — Rev. Mr. Cookman preached another eloquent 
sermon on Sunday evening. * * * The whole discourse was replete 
with sublime thoughts and beautiful illustrations, and made a salutary and 
we trust a lasting impression upon the minds of the large and attentive 
auditory. One secret of Mr. Cookman's popularity and success as a 
preacher is that his sermons are all good, and that whatever emergen- 
cy calls him forth, he has a peculiar faculty of happily adapting his dis- 
course to the occasion. We have observed this in several instances, 
when Mr. Cookman has delivered impromptu addresses in response to 
unexpected calls made upon him. We like his sermons on account of 
their freshness and originality, and the thoroughness and earnestness 



MINISTERIAL ACTIVITY. 



163 



with which they are delivered. For a young man he is a speaker of supe- 
rior ability. He has been thoroughly educated, and has all the finish which 
literary acquirements can bestow upon naturally fine powers of declamation. 
Mr. Cookman bids fair to win for himself a reputation for pulpit eloquence 
equal to that enjoyed by his eloquent and lamented father." 

Toward the close of his first year Mr. Cookman was strongly 
urged to go to Pittsburgh to take charge of a new Church en- 
terprise in that city, but a sense of duty to the charge he already 
occupied prevailed over the urgent invitation, and he remained 
and completed the full term of two years. His ministry was 
highly successful in adding members to the Church. The mul- 
titudes who frequented the sanctuary and listened to his beau- 
tiful imagery and forcible appeals, did not go away merely en- 
chanted with the witchery of words and action ; they remained 
to weep for their sins, and " to lay hold of the hope set before 
them in the Gospel." If the preacher culled flowers with which 
to please the fancy, he did not the less forge and hurl sharp 
arrows which pierced the consciences of his hearers. At the 
end of two years the Church had gained ninety members and 
seventy probationers, and increased equally in its financial and 
social standing. 

Through these years the devoted pastor was also an active 
itinerant, going hither and thither throughout the state and in 
adjoining states, on all possible errands of evangelistic and liter- 
ary labor. Traces of him appear among his Baltimore friends. 
It will be recollected that his father, in 1835, na d written in a 
young lady's album. During a visit there, on the opposite page, 
he gave the subjoined exquisite expression of filial love : 

" Nineteen years have elapsed since the hand of my beloved father pressed 
this leaf; and I can not express the gratification I feel in reading the beau- 
tiful incident which he here records, and in availing myself of the opportunity 
of penning upon the back of the same leaf a slight tribute to his cherished 
memory. 

" Although a mere boy when he imprinted upon my cheek a burning kiss 
and whispered in my ear a last farewell, yet to-day I have his image dis- 



164 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



tinctly daguerreotyped upon my spirit, while his virtues shall ever be treas- 
ured as the very choicest jewels in the casket of my remembrance. 

" With a largely endowed intellect, he possessed a capacious heart, which 
was literally filled with a wealth of affection. His lively interest in, and his 
abiding love for the different members of his family, forms the sweetest rem- 
iniscence of my life. Nor was his love confined to these. Breathing an at- 
mosphere of kindness, he drew around him a large circle of dear and devoted 
friends. * * * 

" But alas ! the withering thought, like a scorching sirocco, sweeps over 
the heart, that though he was, yet he is not. To use his own eloquent 
language, long ere this ' the sea-weed may have become his winding-sheet, 
and the coral rock his pillow ;' but, if indeed the ocean is his magnificent 
mausoleum, the rolling, roaring surge his solemn requiem, and the floating 
iceberg his only tombstone, we encourage our hearts with the revelation that 
a day has been appointed when 'the sea shall give up its dead.' Then, 
then we shall meet him again, and be reunited in a world where 1 love shall 
wreathe her chain around us forever.' Oh ! let us emulate his excellent ex- 
ample, that in heaven we may renew and eternally perpetuate our affection- 
ate intercourse, and blend our voices in the triumphant hallelujahs of the 
skies. Alfred Cookman. 

"Harrisburg, March 7, 1854." 

Mr. Cookman had entered the field as a lecturer, and, judg- 
ing from the comments of the press, obtained no mean success : 

" The first of a series of lectures in the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
Fourth Street, of this city (Philadelphia), was delivered on Thursday evening 
of last week by the Rev. Mr. Cookman, of Harrisburg. The subject was the 
Bible. He is a very eloquent man. He delivered it without 1 notes and 
on this account it was very impressive. There was a peculiarity in it which 
we think worthy of remark, although it may have been noticed by few of the 
audience. It was this : he availed himself of ' apt alliterations' artful aid,' 
said that the Bible was the basis, the bond, the bulwark, and the boast of free 
institutions. It was the basis, because we derive from the Bible the best 
principles of government, and that from it alone we learn the lesson of self- 
government. Other books take up the subject from the circumference, and 
proceed thence to the centre ; this begins at the centre, and works out to the 
circumference. In other words, those begin with society at large, and this 
with the individual. * * * 

"He showed that the Bible was the bond of our institutions, because it 
taught the universal brotherhood of Man, and knew no North, no South, no 



IN THE FIELD AS A LECTURER. 



165 



East, no West. He showed it to be the bulwark of our Republic by compari- 
sons with other governments in other days, which have passed away, because 
they had not the principles of the Bible to protect them from vice and its 
destructive tendencies. And he concluded by showing that the Bible was 
the boast of our free institutions, because it was designed for universal ac- 
ceptance, and was universally circulated among us by Protestant Christianity, 
and on this branch of his subject he was very eloquent. He compared the 
different denominations, when met together to promote the distribution of 
the Bible in our happy land, and from thence throughout the world, to a 
rainbow — all the colors in the bow being distinctly visible, and yet happily 
harmonizing in one beautiful whole ! And then concluded by calling upon 
us as American citizens to protect the Bible as the sheet-anchor of our liber- 
ties, and to act out the pretty sentiment, ' We won't give up the Bible.' " 

A year later he lectured again in Philadelphia, and received 
from another paper the following appreciative notice : 

" On Monday evening we had the pleasure of hearing the fifth lecture of 
the course before the Young Men's Christian Association by the Rev. Al- 
fred Cookman, of Pittsburgh. The Presbyterian Church, capacious as it is, 
was well filled, with a cultivated and intelligent audience. The lecturer's 
theme was Concentrated Energy, and his remarks were mainly addressed to 
the young, urging upon them, in language at once argumentative, forcible, 
and eloquent, the necessity of a fixed purpose, pursued with untiring effort, 
or, in a word, of concentrated energy, as a prerequisite to success and dis- 
tinction in any pursuit, and in all the pursuits of life. Mr. Cookman's style 
is clear and perspicuous, while it is at the same time brilliant and ornate. 
His voice, which is perfectly under his control, is remarkably distinct, mu- 
sical, and sonorous, and his manner of delivery is highly oratorical and ef- 
fective. His lecture gave unbounded satisfaction, and placed him high in 
the opinion of our people as a finished scholar and a popular speaker. Mr. 
Cookman, although quite a young man, has already won for himself an en- 
viable reputation, and, if his life and health are spared, he will undoubtedly 
before many years stand in the very front rank of the ministry of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church." 

While stationed at Harrisburg, he was invited to deliver the 
annual sermon before " The Society of Evangelical Inquiry of 
Dickinson College." The sermon was well received, and es- 
tablished for its author a high reputation with the students. In 
the evening of the same day on which this sermon was deliver- 



i66 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ed, he preached at the Methodist Church in the town. It was 
the first time he had been in the old church since he was a boy 
in his father's household. Vivid and tender were the memories 
which rushed upon his heart, and he could not do otherwise 
than refer to his father and the occasion of his own conversion. 
We are so fortunate as to have a description of the effects of 
his preaching from an eye-witness, the Rev. J. Duey Moore, of 
the Baltimore Conference, who was then a youth resident in Car- 
lisle. Writing to the Rev. John E. Cookman, he says : 

" I remember, when I was a boy, your brother was invited to 
preach in Carlisle. In the morning he preached in the College 
Chapel, and at night in the old church, Main Street, the same 
church which your father had the charge of in other days. His 
theme was 'the Vision of Dry Bones.' The church was crowd- 
ed. In concluding his sermon, he referred to his sainted father 
in a most touching manner ; the effect was beyond all human 
description. I remember hearing an old minister of our church 
who had sat under your father's ministry say, 'The form of 
George Cookman came before me while his son was preaching, 
to such an extent that I was carried back to the days when the 
crowds gathered to hear what I regarded the best pulpit orator 
I ever listened to.' 

" After concluding his sermon, he gave an account of his con- 
version, which took place in that church when he was quite 
young. Speaking of it he said, ' Kneeling there (pointing to a 
bench at the right of the pulpit), a poor, distressed penitent, a 
brother in Christ, a member of the Presbyterian Church, by the 
name of Mr. Hamilton, came to me amid my sorrow, and, plac- 
ing his hand upon my head, told me to " look fully to Christ, 
and He would save me ;" and as I tried to do as he told me, the 
darkness gave way, and, kneeling there with this clear brother 
by the Cross, great light and peace rested upon me. I was for- 
given.' As your brother had not heard from Mr. Hamilton* for 

* Mr. Hamilton died in 1873, greatly honored and beloved by the people 
of Carlisle. 



SERMON AT CARLISLE. 



I6 7 



years, he thought he had passed to his reward ; but he (Mr. 
Hamilton) was in the church, and just as soon as the congre- 
gation was dismissed he walked to the altar and introduced 
himself to your brother. I will never forget their meeting. As 
the people were retiring from their pews, their eyes caught the 
venerable form of Mr. James Hamilton advancing toward the 
pulpit, and, as all eyes followed him until he came before your 
brother, they waited to see the result. Oh, how the people did 
weep as they looked upon two who had not met since they met 
amid the light of the Cross — one as a penitent, then crying 
' Save me !' the other saying, ' Christ can save !' As I write I 
think I can see myself as I was then, holding my dear sainted 
father's hand (he was an intimate friend of your father and 
brother), and, looking up into his face, saw the tears flowing 
down his cheeks while he looked upon this meeting." 

These two letters to his wife give pleasant glimpses of do- 
mestic love and pastoral fidelity. 

To his wife, Mrs. Annie E. Cookman : 

" Harrisburg, Tuesday morning, , 1853. 

" I confidently expected to hear from you yesterday morning, and felt con- 
siderably disappointed when the postman reported No. 51 empty. The little 
missive arrived, however, last night, and was read over and over again. 
Your assurances of unwavering affection were very grateful to my feelings. 
In this world of insincere profession and mere external manifestation, it is 
delightful to know that there is one warm, true heart in which you may con- 
fidingly repose. The genuineness of your love I have never questioned for 
an instant ; and, next to the Pearl of great price, prize it as the most pre- 
cious of my heart's jewels. Be assured that it is not foolishly expended. I 
am glad that our dear boys continue so well. May God in His providence 
spare their health and lives many, many years. They are two beautiful, 
blessed children, for whom we ought to be profoundly thankful to the Giver 
of every good and perfect gift. I am, of course, very anxious to have you 
at home again. All is desolation in your absence. Still, if you are realizing 
benefit in Columbia, I will not be so unwarrantably selfish as to urge your 
return. I can manage to exist, and will willingly live in hope a little longer 
if your welfare may be subserved. Make yourselves comfortable, get fat and 



i68 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



strong, and come home when you feel like it. Yesterday was another pretty 
full day. In the morning two funerals — a long walk in the hot sun and 
through the dust from the cemetery — in the afternoon running round, and at 
night a class to lead. I breakfasted at D.'s, dined at C.'s, and supped at 
Z.'s, with Miss Kate M and Mr. Alpheus W , who returned togeth- 
er from P yesterday. This morning I breakfasted again at D.'s, shall 

tline at D.'s, and sup at C.'s. My neighbors and all my friends are very 
kind. Part of every afternoon I spend with poor J , who seems perfect- 
ly resigned and composed in the prospect of death. Young McM.'s trial 

comes on next week. I suppose I shall hear from sister D (who has 

been out of town since last week) all the particulars respecting the contem- 
plated camp-meeting. I believe I have given you all the news." 

" Harrisburg, Wednesday afternoon, 3 o'clock. 
" I have just finished two letters, and before laying aside my pen will drop 
you a line. Here I am at my study-table again, attending to correspond- 
ence and other matters. Oh, that you were at my side ! Oh, that I could 
look around and see the faces of my beautiful boys ! After leaving you this 
morning I was hurried to Lancaster, where I spent my time very agreeably 

with Mr. E , at Murray's book-store, and with Brother Bishop at his 

parsonage. Arrived at home in a snow-storm. Thought that perhaps you 
would accompany me. On my return found two letters, one from Heston, 
in Reading, the other from Janes, in Chambersburg ; both asking me to 
come to their help. During my absence, Mrs. Wm. C sent a large mar- 
ket-basket full, piled up — about four pounds of almonds, four pounds of 
raisins, a peck of chestnuts and shell-barks, a large glass of calves'-foot 
jelly, a large fruit-cake, and a number of toys for the children." * * * 



CHAPTER XI. 



MINISTRY AT CHRIST CHURCH, PITTSBURGH, PA. — INCREASING 
FAME AND USEFULNESS. 

The Methodists of Pittsburgh having completed their new 
and beautiful Christ Church, renewed their invitation to Mr. 
Cookman to consent to be transferred to take the charge 
of it. Their solicitations were seconded by Bishop Simpson, 
then a resident of Pittsburgh. Notwithstanding Mr. Cookman's 
love for his Conference, in view of the advice of the bishops 
and the noble enterprise at Pittsburgh, he accepted the invita- 
tion, and was transferred by Bishop Morris in the spring of 
1855. It was not without regret that the people of Harrisburg 
parted with him. As evidence of the universal respect and af- 
fection with which he was regarded, I quote from one of the 
newspapers of the day : 

•' Farewell Sermon.— Rev. Mr. Cookman preached his farewell sermon 
on Sabbath evening. So great was the anxiety to hear it that the church 
was crowded to its utmost capacity at an early hour, and a large number of 
persons were unable to obtain seats at all. Mr. Cookman preached a dis- 
course eminently appropriate to the occasion, and was more than ordinarily 
eloquent and impressive. He spoke with much apparent sincerity and feel- 
ing, and a large portion of the congregation were affected to tears. Mr. 
Cookman has labored in this community for two years with great success, 
and was respected and beloved not only by his own congregation, but by 
the people of our town generally. He was popular with all classes and all 
denominations, and his departure is universally regretted. He left Harris- 
burg yesterday afternoon for Pittsburgh, the scene of his future ministerial 
labors, carrying with him the heart-warm blessings of hundreds of true 
friends. May the largest prosperity attend him." 

How Mr. Cookman was impressed with Pittsburgh before his 
transfer. 

H 



170 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



To his wife : 

" Pittsburgh, Tuesday afternoon, June 14, 1854. 
* * * "About three o'clock the train came thundering along. Finding 
seats we hurried off, and until day-dawn dozed away the tedious moments. 
Then the scenery, wild and majestic, opened upon us, which of course we 
enjoyed richly and to the end of our journey. Some of the views in cross- 
ing the mountain transcend any thing I have ever beheld. Without acci- 
dent we reached Pittsburgh in good time, not near as much fatigued as I 
frequently am after riding to Philadelphia. You will feel anxious to know 
what I think of Pittsburgh. Well, I must say I rather like it. True, there 
is a good deal of smoke and the houses generally look cloudy, but it is 
not near as bad as I anticipated. The buildings are good, some of the 
residences quite elegant, and every thing seems to exhibit the spirit of ener- 
gy and enterprise. The place strongly reminds me of many English cities 
which I have visited. It is not unlike New York, more like it certainly 
than Philadelphia. I fancy that like myself you would be agreeably disap- 
pointed in Pittsburgh. I have already traversed the city pretty thoroughly ; 
among other places I have visited the new Christ M. E. Church, and do not 
think me enthusiastic or extravagant when I say that it is far, far ahead of 
any thing in the form of a Methodist Church I have ever seen. They are 
about finishing the basement, which is very handsomely frescoed and fitted 
up in elegant style. The audience-room will be most magnificent. I wan- 
dered through, as I desired, entirely incognito. If I can I will procure a litho- 
graphic representation of the edifice, that you may have some idea. Well, 
now, I hear you say, ' Just as I expected and prophesied. He had no busi- 
ness to go to Pittsburgh ; a convert already.' No, dear, I would prefer to 
remain in the Philadelphia Conference than to assume the responsibility 
which would devolve upon the pastor of such a charge. Very much would 
be expected, and I do not want to be obliged to meet such expectations. 
Worse things, though, you may rest assured, might happen to us than being 
sent to Pittsburgh. So far as I am concerned, with my beloved Annie and 
charming boys, I could be perfectly happy in a cabin on the tallest peak 
of the Alleghanies. It is your presence and enthusiastic love which covers 
my path with sunshine and makes me a happy home any where. You need 
not fear, I think, a transfer to Pittsburgh. I am staying at the City Hotel, 
kept by Messrs. Glass & Chase, gentlemen who have treated me already 
with very marked attention and favor. I wonder how you all are this even- 
ing. I think of you almost constantly, and am the happiest when I can bask 
in the refreshing radiance of your sunny faces. Well, I believe I have writ- 
ten all that I have to communicate just now. It is, I fear, an illegible 



CHRIST CHURCH. — ADMINISTRATIVE SKILL. 171 

scrawl, penned in the midst of noise and confusion. Puzzle it out, however, 
and when you have done kiss yourself over and over again for one who loves 
you better than all the world beside. Then take up Bruner, and give him a 
dozen for his papa ; then petty Kenjtey, and let her have an equal number. 

Mr. Cookman was twenty-seven years of age when appointed 
to Christ Church. The new edifice, of the Gothic order of 
architecture, situated on Penn Street, was then the costliest 
church building in American Methodism, and was about the 
first decided advance in the new movement in architectural 
beauty in Methodist houses of worship. The number of mem- 
bers that brought this laudable undertaking to completion was 
small. They were, however, men of means, courage, and 
prayer. They felt that the right man in the pulpit would se- 
cure success. No higher mark of confidence could have been 
placed on Mr. Cookman than that he should be selected for so 
important a position. 

The sequel proved the wisdom of the choice. Under his 
control, the enterprise moved off prosperously from the begin- 
ning, and the most sanguine expectations of its originators were 
fulfilled. Though young in years, he was a man of experience • 
courageous, and at the same time cautious, he showed both the 
ardor which prepared him to enter fully into the advanced views 
of his official men, and also the judgment to direct their ear- 
nestness with the steadiness and tact which insured the best re- 
sults. His power to attract the people by his preaching was 
to be tested as never before. Heretofore his churches had 
been " free," and this was " pewed but his ability was at once 
recognized, and his church was speedily filled. His faculty as 
an organizer was to be promptly and fully proved, and that, too, 
under circumstances peculiar and trying — but here, as in the 
pulpit, he showed himself eminently capable. It is doubtful if 
there be any surer test of the ability of a minister for adminis- 
tration as well as preaching and pastoral work than the suc- 
cessful guidance of a great and powerful Church, especially in 



172 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



the forming periods of its existence. To balance all conflicting 
claims, to keep all the forces in accord, to incorporate new ele- 
ments with the old without violence, to evoke and start enter- 
prises into safe and effective channels, to impress all the work- 
ers and all the methods with a thoroughly spiritual stamp — all 
this requires talents of a high order, and talents well poised. 
The native sense and the admirable discernment of Mr. Cook- 
man were never more displayed, before or since, than in the 
management of the affairs of Christ Church. 

But while busy with his new charge in the first months of his 
pastorate, he does not forget the fond mother from whom he 
was so far separated. Could there be a more affectionate expres- 
sion, alike creditable to him and to her, than this letter ? I give 
it with its italicizing retained. 

To his mother, Mrs. Mary Cookman : 

" Pittsburgh, May 25, 1855. 
" Will's letter reached us this week, bringing the unwelcome intelligence 
that you have been seriously ill. At such a time we feel it to be a duty and 
a privilege to take up our pen and express our sympathy and undying love. 
Your children may sometimes exhibit a censurable carelessness and indiffer- 
ence, but believe me there underlies their conduct as enthusiastic affection 
for their mother as ever found a place in a human heart. The effect of 
your instructions, and the influence of your kind, gentle nature, have been to 
win every noble feeling of which they are capable, and if they were to-day 
severally interrogated who is the best and purest among human kind, they 
would unhesitatingly answer, ' Our mother I have no greater happiness 
than to sit down and, in connection with the eventful past, dwell upon those 
virtues which you so beautifully developed in the midst of your family, and 
think of that ceaseless and self-denying love which always shed sunshine on 
our home. It was and is a happy heme ! the remembrance of which shall 
be dear to our hearts through the entire period of our earthly pilgrimage. 
Thank you, dear mother, a thousand times over, for your gushing sympathy, 
your faithful instructions, your consistent and beautiful example, your jealous 
care and unremitting efforts for the happiness and welfare of your children. 
You have been not only a good mother, but the best of mothers. Our appre- 
ciation of your character and services increases with our age ; and when you 
are safely housed in glory, we will often come together and wonder that one 



INTRODUCTION TO THE PITTSBURGH CONFERENCE. 1 73 



so pure and lovely was so long lent to us and the world. My fawning tears 
attest the sincerity of the feelings I express — feelings which are largely shared 
by every member of your beloved family. Even Will, whom you occasion- 
ally deem a little headstrong and unmanageable, tells me in his letter that re- 
quirements which once seemed irksome to his independent nature are now 
regarded in an entirely different light. It is his highest delight to serve and 
gratify her whom he feels to be his best and trtiest friend. The loss of his 
mother, he states, would blot out every earthly joy, and make him almost 
wish for the oblivion of the death-slumber. Shall I ask you to excuse this 
spontaneous outburst of filial feeling ? This, I am sure, will not be neces- 
sary, for while it has relieved my overflowing heart, it may, perhaps, kindle 
a pleasurable feeling in the bosom of one whom I wotild be proud to make 
happy. I hope by this time your sickness has been arrested, and you are 
able to attend to your domestic duties. When you feel that you can con- 
veniently and comfortably take up your pen, we shall be most happy to re- 
ceive one of your thrice-welcome letters. In the mean while charge one of 
the fraternity to act as your amanuensis, and let us at least know the state 
of your health and the course of domestic affairs. The children exhibit ev- 
ery day some new charm, some fresh attraction. Next week the Western 
Virginia Conference meets in Wheeling. If nothing should prevent, I think 
I will join a company of preachers and go down for a day or two. The 
Pittsburgh Conference meets in Johnstown on the 13th of June." 

Mr. Cookman had been transferred, and had entered upon 
his work in advance of the session of the Pittsburgh Conference. 
The transfer to a new Conference involved a trial to him, as it 
would to any man of like refined nature, and it was with no little 
misgiving that he looked forward to the session. A transfer 
for the express purpose of being appointed to the grandest and 
wealthiest Church of the Conference, would be likely to render 
him an object of a somewhat careful and cool attention. His 
fame had preceded him — would he measure up to it? His 
praise was in all the churches — was he proud and reserved ? 
These and such questions would occur to brethren and to him. 
Methodist preachers are but men, and, like other men, they do 
not relish being dispossessed by strangers of the fields which 
their own hard toil has made to bud and bloom. 

But it was impossible for a body of good men to have hard 



174 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



feelings toward Alfred Cookman. He had only to show him- 
self among his brethren, and all prejudice was disarmed. From 
youth there was that in him which transfused the hearts of all 
with love and confidence. The Pittsburgh preachers were won 
by his first looks and words. He impressed them as a true 
Methodist preacher, with a single aim, with all the instincts and 
habits of his brethren, and that he had come to Pittsburgh not 
for the sake of position, but for the good of souls and the weal 
of Methodism. His honors seemed to sit so lightly upon him, 
his whole demeanor in public and private was so savory of gen- 
uine modesty and deep piety, that, with a quickness and gener- 
osity so distinctive of their class, the ministers immediately ex- 
tended to him the entente cordiale, which henceforth made him 
happy among them. A letter from the seat of the Conference 
shows as much. 

To his wife, Mrs. Annie E. Cookman : 

"Johnstown, Pa., June 15, 1855. 
"A pleasant ride in company with a number of preachers brought me to 
this mountain town about eleven o'clock. We immediately proceeded to 
the Methodist Church, where we found the Pittsburgh Conference transact- 
ing business. It was the work of only a few minutes to introduce me form- 
ally to the Conference, and for the Conference to receive my money for the 
superannuated and supernumerary preachers. In presenting this collection, 
I took occasion to make a few remarks complimentary to the Church which 
I represent. The brethren generally have extended to me a cordial wel- 
come, and I begin to feel more at home. Yesterday afternoon the Sunday- 
school anniversary occurred. Addresses were delivered by a Brother Little, 
of the Erie Conference, Brother Torrence, and Dr. Peck. In the evening 
Brother Torrence preached in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Brother 
Williams in the Presbyterian Church. I concluded to hear the latter, and 
really was very much pleased. Indeed, I doubt if they have a better in the 
Conference. Strange to tell, I have found some little difficulty in getting one 
of the magnates to leave the seat of the Conference. Brother Torrence and 
some member of the Conference will, I think, consent to preach at Christ 
Church on the Sabbath. The missionary anniversary comes off on Saturday 
evening, and the brethren, as with one accord, desire and request that I re- 
main to speak and preach on Sabbath morning in the Presbyterian Church. 



PUBLIC DEMANDS. AN EFFECTIVE SPEECH. 1 75 

These services, with a Bible speech on Monday evening, will perhaps make 
it proper for me to tarry in Johnstown, instead of returning on Saturday, as 
I had originally intended. I have thought a great deal about you since my 
departure. My wife and sons are the dearest idols of my affections, and I 
am never so happy as when I have you by my side. My home in Johnstown 

is at the house of a Mr. J , the superintendent of extensive iron-works in 

this place. The family are recently from Tennessee, and exhibit all the 
blandness and affection of Southern nature. Bishop Morris, Brothers Hop- 
kins and Torrence, are colleagues in these comforts. The people do the 
best they can, but, I apprehend, find themselves considerably crowded." 

The demands on Mr. Cookman for outside work increased, 
as from this prominent point the circle of his reputation con- 
stantly widened. From all directions the calls for special 
services flooded his table — requests for dedicating churches, 
for addresses, lectures, and all kinds of efforts in aid of old and 
new causes. 

An address delivered during this period in Philadelphia, at 
Music Fund Hall, on behalf of the Bedford Street Mission of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, was probably one of the most 
effective of his life. It was elaborately prepared, and was de- 
livered in his happiest style. The impression was deep, imme- 
diate, and abiding. His vehement oratory swept the vast audi- 
ence whithersoever he listed. He and the cause he pleaded 
were from that evening, if they had not been previously, thor- 
oughly intrenched in the hearts of the hearers. Back again 
among his early friends a visitor, he came freighted with the best 
thoughts he could command, his soul in closest sympathy with 
missions among the destitute, and his nature fired by old associ- 
ations and glowing with the love of Jesus, he rose with the hour, 
the place, the audience, and it was thought by many that they 
had rarely, if ever, listened to a more powerful, popular address. 

The letter which follows, written to his youngest brother, 
John, now the Rev. John E. Cookman, a member of the New 
York Conference, will be read with interest. His views on 
Biblical schools may be regarded by some as behind the times. 



176 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Yet the ground of his objections were felt to be weighty by 
many minds as recently as fifteen years ago. Even now there 
are a few in other denominations besides the Methodist who 
have grave questionings as to the positive benefit of the training 
of theological schools. It is feared by them that it tends to 
make machine men, to quench native fire ; to create genera- 
tions of preachers who will carry from the seminary too much 
the tone and manner of a " faculty that, while it may produce 
theologians, it will educate the students too far away from the 
people to fit them as preachers for the masses, and so raise up 
ministers for this and coming ages who will not be, in all re- 
spects, as effective and successful as those hitherto known in 
Methodism. 

Although it is now conceded that theological schools have 
become a necessity of the Church, yet I regard it as no discredit 
to our friend that he cherished and expressed the feelings con- 
tained in this letter. It is for those who have the charge of these 
schools to see to it that his fears and the fears of thousands as 
sincerely devoted to the Church are not realized. Said Robert 
Hall of the learned Kippis, " He might be a very clever man 
by nature, for aught I know, but he laid so many books upon 
his head that his brains could not move." Vital force, springing 
from the heart as the motor — the one indispensable condition 
of effective preaching — was what our friend believed more and 
more with each succeeding year of his ministry. Goethe says : 

" What you don't feel, you'll never catch by hunting ; 
It must gush out spontaneous from the soul ; 
And with a fresh delight enchanting 
The hearts of all that hear, control." 

To his brother, Mr. John E. Cookman : 

" Pittsburgh, July 22, 1856. 

" To say that your letter afforded me great pleasure, expresses but feebly 
the real feelings of my heart. While I know that you had always associated 
with your future the work of the ministry, still I began to fear that business 
and the world were becoming so attractive and absorbing that you would 



COUNSELS TO HIS YOUNGEST BROTHER. 



177 



be diverted from a nobler and more useful sphere. What was my joy, then, 
to hear from yourself that your present employments failed to satisfy the de- 
sires and ambition of your nature, and, in obedience to conscientious convic- 
tions, you felt like preparing yourself to do the work of an evangelist. 

" From personal experience I know the importance, aye, the necessity 
of divine help and strength in a situation similar to that in which you are 
placed. Therefore, while I will most cheerfully render you such advice and 
assistance as may be in my power, at the same time I would impress you 
with the propriety and advantage of fleeing to the strong for strength. Hide 
yourself in God. Trust for providential direction, and you shall not stray 
or stumble. The God of the fatherless, in so important a step as that which 
you contemplate, will certainly and satisfactorily exhibit a superintending 
agency, and in the future you will review the whole with gratitude and joy. 
My first and most fervent counsel, therefore, would be that you yield your- 
self up fitlly unto God. Let no idol, no secret sin, no unwillingness to toil 
or sacrifice or suffer, debar you from the full realization of your privileges 
in the Gospel of God's dear Son. However imperfect your mental and 
physical developments may seem to yourself, there is no reason why, as a 
Christian, you should not rival a Fletcher, a McCheyne, a Summerfield, in 
their almost seraphic purity and zeal and devotion. Attend, then, to the 
all-important subject of personal piety in the first instance, and I have no 
fear for the rest. God will overrule all for your benefit and His glory. 

" With respect to the importance or advantage of a college course, I am 
not entirely clear or satisfied. Had you not spent four years in the Phila- 
delphia High- School, I should not be in so much doubt. I remember, how- 
ever, that you have acquired, to a considerable extent, habits of study; you 
have obtained pretty general information on the different branches of sci- 
ence, which will serve as a foundation on which to build in the future ; you 
have received regularly and legitimately the degree of A.B., which of course 
will be followed in due time with an A.M. In these respects you are very 
far in advance of a large majority of those who are admitted to our Method- 
ist itinerancy. Then, when I think of the associations and influences which 
are found in most colleges, I tremble lest my cherished brother, for whose 
success I am so deeply concerned, should be moved off the sure foundation. 
A Biblical institute, as a substitute for a college, has been presented to my 
mind, but here again I have my difficulties. I should fear that its influence 
would be to subdue that enthusiasm which I believe will prove in the future 
your charm and your power. 

" The truth is, I am only about half-persuaded in my mind respecting the 
advantages of such schools. I compare the genuine Methodist preacher, 

H 2 



i 7 8 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



whose soul is one blaze of holy zeal — whose mind, self-disciplined, is filled 
with practical and profitable truth — whose aim is so single that his whole 
life is a striking commentary upon the sentiment, • This one thing I do ' — 
who goes through the world like fire through the prairie ; I say I compare 
such a one with a critical, metaphysical, Germanized student of divinity, 
who, perhaps, looks as blue and feels as cold as if he had been shivering 
in an ice-house, and who preaches as stiffly as if his lips and heart and 
arms had all been literally frozen. There is no kind of doubt but I can find 
self-made men in the Methodist Episcopal Church who are not only equal 
but superior to others of our own and sister denominations who can boast 
the advantages of literary and theological training. With respect, however, 
to this matter, I would not determine for you. If you feel that college studies 
would increase your mental discipline as no other exercise could, I would 
not utter a word of discouragement, but rather a hearty ' God-speed 7' I am 
rather inclined to the conclusion that Brush College, after all, will prove the 
best school for the development of your physical and intellectual powers. 
If you could spend the autumn and winter in reading, composing, and exer- 
cising as opportunity might offer, and in the spring take an easy circuit, as 
for instance Village Green or Springfield, I believe that you would accom- 
plish as much for yourself and for the Church as you would by conjugating 
Latin verbs and studying heathen mythology. If you feel inclined to this 
latter course, my home and humble services are at your disposal. I appre- 
ciate the peculiarity and perplexities of your situation, and, while I scarcely 
feel prepared to advise, would earnestly counsel that you seek wisdom from 
God, who giveth liberally and upbraideth not." 

Mr. Cookman was able to go up to the session of the Pitts- 
burgh Conference in 1856 with a good showing for the year. 
The number of members had increased from ninety to one 
hundred and thirty-two, and twenty-six probationers. He re- 
ported $738 for the general missionary collection, and $300 
for the Bible cause — remarkable advances upon all former con- 
tributions. At the seat of the Conference he was called upon 
to speak, in connection with the Rev. Dr. Durbin and others, 
on the occasion of the anniversary of the Conference Mission- 
ary Society. A correspondent of the Pittsburgh Christian Ad- 
vocate wrote of the speeches : 

" The Rev. Alfred Cookman, of Penn Street Church, Pittsburgh, and Dr. 
John P. Durbin electrified the audience with two of the most powerful 



PREACHING AND SPEAKING AT THE CONFERENCE. 1 79 



speeches to which it has been our privilege to listen. Cookman is a gifted 
son of eloquence, and nature has given him a most exuberant fancy. His 
speeches abound in the most gorgeous imagery, and in this respect he is 
said to resemble his distinguished father. Of Durbin, as a great thinker 
and a great orator, it is scarcely necessary to speak. He presented some 
most striking thoughts on the subject of missions. Cookman's speech might 
be said to abound with the lightning-flashes of genius, while Durbin followed 
in one continued thunder-roll of ponderous thought." 

The same correspondent noticed Mr. Cookman's sermon on 
the Sabbath, in 'the Presbyterian Church, in these terms : 

" We would as soon think of daguerreotyping the storm, or with our feeble 
voice of imitating the roar of the thunder, as to undertake to convey to our 
readers the impression made by Cookman's sermon. Certain we are that 
of all who heard it, no one will forget it." 

Writing, also, of a Bible speech he made at the same session, 
he said it was " a speech such as no man but one of his pecul- 
iar gifts could make." 

These descriptions, while due allowance may be made for 
the enthusiasm excited by the youth of Mr. Cookman, give 
proof of the high appreciation in which his gifts were held by 
one who was probably a member of the Conference. They 
also show the tireless energy of the young minister in thus 
standing forward on three important occasions to plead in 
causes of the first magnitude. Neither then nor afterward did 
the thought of saving himself or his capital ever seem to enter 
his mind. What he could do for the Master was done to the 
best of his ability, and there the matter rested. 

The following letters reveal the depth of his religious and 
domestic affections. 

To his wife, Mrs. Annie E. Cookman : 

u Pittsburgh, Saturday night, , 1856. 

" How thankful I was for your letter, breathing so much of true devotion. 
I assure you that it came to me in my desolation like an angel of light. I 
need not say that your enthusiastic affection finds the very xvarmest recipro- 
cation in my heart. To say that you are the dearest object of my heart and 



i8o 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



life, is to tell the truth but feebly. How I thank God that I was ever per- 
mitted to gaze upon your sunny face and claim you as my own. God bless 
you, precious Annie, and spare your valuable life many, many years. 

" Last evening I met all my young members. The room was quite filled 
with those converted through my unworthy instrumentality. I think they 
promise not a little to the Church. This afternoon I had the Sabbath-school 
together. Our meeting was very pleasant and profitable. To my great joy, 
quite a number of General Conference delegates arrived to-day.* The 
prospect is that I will be relieved from preaching on the morrow. Dr. 
Hodgson stayed with me last night, but went on this morning. Dr. McClin- 
tock and Rev. A. A. Reese dined at Dr. W.'s to-day. I was one of the 
invited. * * * 

" I am still at Mr. S.'s. They do every thing in their power to render me 
happy and comfortable. I suppose you are this evening at the Columbia 
homestead. Two letters mailed during the week would probably await your 
arrival. Have I not proven a faithful correspondent ? Well, I deserve 
little credit, as it is really no ordinary happiness for me to sit down and 
commune through even this unsatisfactory medium with her who is all the 
world to me — especially when I know my letters are adding to your pleasure. 

" Kiss my boys for poor pa. Tell them that I intend to bring up their 
carriage out of the cellar, and have it all ready for their occupancy and use. 
'Billy' keeps quiet and well, not objecting to see his little masters. He is 
all ready for a ride." 

To his wife, Mrs. Annie E. Cookman : 

" Pittsburgh, Tuesday afternoon, April 29, 1856. 
" Your letter written on Friday evening came to hand on Monday. I feel 
glad and grateful that our Heavenly Father cares for your health and safety 

and happiness. Young S informed me on Sabbath night that he had 

seen you and the children on Saturday in Columbia. The very fact that he 
had seen you so recently excited no little interest in my mind. I am man- 
aging to exist in your absence. It is not living, and yet I bear it because I 
think that you are happier in the East than you would be perhaps in Pitts- 
burgh. You know that your comfort is my rule and constant object. The 
smoky city, however, is not the worst place in the creation. The people are 
very kind, and there is a great deal to render a residence here desirable and 
delightful. 

"My friends (the S.'s) are unremitting in their attentions. God forbid 
that I should forget their friendly treatment. 

* On their way to Indianapolis. 



CONVERSION OF W. W. COOKMAN. 



181 



" On Sabbath I was relieved from preaching. The Rev. Norval Wilson, of 
Baltimore, occupied the pulpit in the morning, and the Rev. "William Coop- 
er, of Philadelphia, in the evening ; two very good sermons. Next Sabbath 
we commence our afternoon service. Of course / deprecate the change. 

" You must have had a very charming visit to Philadelphia. It will furnish 
matter for delightful retrospect and conversation for months to come." 

To his brother, Mr. "William Wilberforce Cookmam on re- 
ceiving the news of his conversion : 

'• Pittsburgh, February 19, 1857. 
" Tuesday's mail brought the most delightful letter I have received for a 
very long time. It was a letter from dear mother, filled with the details of 
your conversion. Like our precious parent, I have been specially concerned 
for your religious welfare. Two or three times this winter I have been on 
the point of addressing you a few lines. As my protracted meeting has pro- 
gressed, I have not only thought of you, but in prayer have wrestled for your 
salvation. How rejoiced, then, was I, to learn that you had resolutely es- 
poused the cause of the Saviour, and were triumphing in a consciousness of 
sins forgiven. Indeed, when I read mother's letter, the fountains of my nat- 
ure broke open, and I poured forth copious tears of thankfulness and joy. 
This morning your fraternal epistle came to hand, and, as I glanced over its 
lines in returning from the post-office, I found that my cup was again run- 
ning over. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless and 
praise His holy name. I am delighted that your experience is of so definite 
and satisfactory a character. This is desirable, not only because it adds to 
the sum of our peace at the present, but because it constitutes our conver- 
sion a great landmark in our life, to which, in future years, we can revert 
with special pleasure and profit. You may expect in the future to suffer 
through manifold and powerful temptations ; still, if in the midst of the trial 
you will only maintain your integrity and Christian profession, the tempta- 
tion or temptations shall really answer a good purpose in establishing your 
faith and strengthening your godly virtues. It is in the storm or tempest 
that the sailor learns what he never could have learned if all around had 
continued calm and prosperous ; then, of all times, he is becoming the prac- 
ticed and thorough seaman. When tempted or tried, remember the Rock 
that is higher than thou. Go to God j with the simplicity of a son or a child, 
tell Him all your doubts and fears and desires ; plead the promises of His 
Word ; and, as in thousands of instances, so in your case, He will surely 
make a way for your escape. I need not represent the advantage and im- 
portance of a daily reading of the Holy Scriptures. This is an exercise 



182 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



which you appreciate and will observe. Neither need I dwell upon the ne- 
cessity of frequent prayer. Morning, noon, and night you will be found be- 
fore God, pouring your wants and requests into His ever-attentive ear. 
Have you joined the Church ? Remember that this is not only a great privi- 
lege, but a scriptural duty. You will find within the pale of the Christian 
Church sympathy and assistance as they can not be found elsewhere. Unit- 
ing yourself with a class, lay it down as a principle or rule of your life al- 
ways to attend when it is possible to go. A man who regularly attends his 
class-meeting can not very well backslide. Associate with your experience 
and profession increasing religious activity. This sustains the same relation 
to our spiritual life that stated physical exercise does to our natural life. 
Enter every aventce of usefulness. Do all the good in your power. Resolve 
that the world shall be better for your having lived in it. My precious 
brother, my heart goes out after you i?i sincerest and strongest affection. You 
were always dear to me because of the noble elements which constitute your 
nature, but you are doubly dear since your regeneration. I feel now that 
" ' Our hopes and aims are one, 
Our comforts and our cares !' 

" We may warrantably indulge the delightful hope that our fraternal love, 
overleaping the river of death, will be perpetuated coeval with the existence 
of the soul. 

" I still feel the deepest and liveliest interest in your secular affairs. With 
the blessing of God, which you can now confidently implore and expect, all 
will be well. Can we not persuade George to give God his heart ? If he 
would yield, then we would be an undivided family in the Church of Jesus 
Christ. Let us agree to pray for him." 

A few brief extracts from Mr. Cookman's pocket-diary of 1856 
afford further illustration of his piety and zeal at this period : 

" January 1. — Attended a Sunday-school convention in the evening, and 
made a speech. Have realized during the day much peace arising from a 
sense of entire consecration to God. 

" January 2. — Preached in the evening from 'Choose ye,' etc. Two came 
forward for prayers. Some prospect of a revival. My mind is kept in peace 
while stayed upon God. 

" January 3. — Spent the morning in my study ; visited Mr. F ; ex- 
horted in the evening ; two penitents ; one conversion. * * * Still realize 
the comfort growing out of an entire consecration of self to God. 

" January 4. — Good meeting at night ; four at the altar. Still trusting in 
Christ. 



HABITUAL DEVOTION TO GOD. 



I8 3 



" January 6. — Preached in the morning ; catechized Sunday-school chil- 
dren in the afternoon ; heard Rev. B at night. A very precious Sabbath. 

In the evening enjoyed an unusual baptism of the Spirit. 

" January 7. — At preachers' meeting realized an unspeakable trust and 
joy in God. * * * The general class in the evening was a discouraging fail- 
ure. My confidence in Christ is unabated. 

" January 8. — A glorious meeting at night ; the Church in earnest and 
eight at the altar. To God be all the glory. 

" January 9. — My peace still flows as a river ; * * * meeting grows in 
interest ; twelve at the altar ; two conversions. Oh, for an unprecedented 
outpouring of the Spirit ! 

" Ja?iuary 10. — Glory to God for the privilege of living in a state of entire 
consecration ; * * * excellent meeting ; thirteen or fourteen at the altar. 

" January 11. — My heart is fixed trusting in the Lord; glorious meeting 
at night ; seventeen at the altar ; the members are rallying to the work. 

'■'■January 12. — Realize great peace with God through our Lord Jesus 
Christ ; twenty at the penitents' meeting to-day. 

"January 15. — Met Tract Committee — occupied most of my morning; 
visited; excellent meeting in the evening; Bishop Simpson with us; four- 
teen at the altar ; two converted. 1 Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that 
is within me bless His holy name !' " 

At the close of Mr. Cookman's second year in Pittsburgh, 
spring of 1857, his return to the Philadelphia Conference was 
requested and granted. Before dismissing this important term 
of his ministry, I insert an estimate of his services at Christ 
Church from the pen of Dr. Wright, a member of its official 
board : 

"For a young man of comparatively little experience as a 
preacher in charge, to be called to the pastorate of an under- 
taking from which so much was expected on the one hand, and 
so much disaster to the cause of Methodism prophesied on the 
other, gave rise to much discussion as to the propriety of the 
appointment, many urging that a preacher of more experience 
would be better. 

" Under these somewhat embarrassing circumstances, which 
were known to our young brother, he came doubting, but Jtrmly 
'trusting. When I first met him one cold, dreary, Pittsburgh 



184 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



March morning, he looked any thing but joyful. I introduced 
him to my family as our expected young preacher of whom they 
had heard me speak so often, and was disposed to be cheerful 
over his coming; but the young preacher was not so disposed, 
and looked sad, and with a grave expression said : 'I am here 
to obey orders, but my opinion is that the officiary of your 
Church have made a mistake in asking my transfer to this im- 
portant charge. I hope it has been ordered through your pray- 
ers, for I feel greatly the need of aid from on high to enter upon 
the discharge of the duties.' He then spoke of the magnitude 
of the enterprise, and his belief that the success of such efforts for 
the future would be determined in a great measure by the first 
years of their history. Thus believing, he said he felt the 
weight of the responsibility all the more, that its organization 
should be a success in every way, especially in the salvation of 
sinners and the upbuilding of the Church for good. 

"He entered upon his duties as the first pastor of Christ 
Methodist Episcopal Church the following Sabbath, and preach- 
ed to a crowded house from the 6th chapter and 14th verse 
of Galatians, 'God forbid,' etc. The cross of Christ and the 
atoning blood of the Lamb, ever beautiful and powerful to save, 
was the burden of his theme on that day. The timid young 
man of the day before was now as bold in the annunciation of 
the truths that centre around the cross as Paul, whom he so 
much loved, and upon whose character he loved to dwell. If 
there had been any doubts about the propriety of calling the 
young brother to the new charge, they were all dispelled by the 
impression produced upon the minds and hearts of his first con- 
gregation. A good, happy brother was asked, on coming out 
of church, what he thought of the sermon : ' Ah !' he replied, 
' there is no German silver about that — it has the true ring of 
the genuine metal.' 

" In the organization of Christ Church membership from the 
various Methodist congregations in Pittsburgh, Brother Alfred 



THE ELEMENTS OF HIS SUCCESS. 



Cookman performed a delicate task, in which he acted with the 
good sense and judgment of more mature years and experience. 
Under the inspiration of his consecration to the work of the 
salvation of sinners, Alfred Cookman developed while at Christ 
Church some of the noblest traits of his manhood, and show- 
ed what was possible when the man is devoted to his Mas- 
ter's work. The fervor of his longings for the conversion of 
sinners was always marked by a deep and loving pathos, ex- 
pressed with singular beauty and propriety of language, that 
rarely failed in making a deep and lasting impression. The 
congregations that waited upon his ministry while in Pittsburgh 
were large — often so crowded that persons had to leave for 
want of room. 

" One of the elements of his great success in Pittsburgh was 
his love and devotion to the Sabbath-school interests of the 
Church. He organized a large school, and never did he seem 
more in his element than when working among the children ; 
and never was there a body of children who seemed to be hap- 
pier and gave more attention than when he was talking to 
them — either in examining them in their catechism, illustrating 
their scriptural lesson, or in telling some story that pointed a 
moral which was always fixed in their minds by some appro- 
priate illustration. 

" Many of the children of the school came early under the in- 
fluence of religion, gave their names to the Church, and Brother 
Alfred lived long enough to see several of the boys thus brought 
to Christ preachers, two of whom are now in the Baltimore 
Conference. 

" In his devotion to the Sabbath-school interests of Christ 
Church he was ably assisted by his excellent wife, who had 
charge of the infant class-room. In all of his responsible du- 
ties and relations to Christ Church he was ever faithful to the 
great trust imposed upon him, and his Master abundantly bless- 
ed and honored him with great success in bringing a large and 



i86 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



influential membership together, and establishing an objective 
point for Methodism in Pittsburgh. 

"He impressed the large and wealthy congregation with 
the importance and duty of contributing generously of their 
means. The after-history of this Church shows that they have 
not forgotten his injunction, but have gone on increasing their 
gifts, till now Christ Church stands among the first in the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church as a contributor to all the interests of 
the Church." 

Two letters written subsequently from Pittsburgh to his wife 
present a very grateful proof of Mr. Cookman's attachment to 
the Christ Church friends as well as of their affection for him. 
They were written when he was on a visit to Pittsburgh : 

" Pittsburgh, Monday morning. 
" I have time for a few lines. Despite the storm and gloomy prospect, I 
started from Harrisburg on Saturday afternoon, and without detention 
reached Pittsburgh about two A. M. on Sabbath morning. The Union Hotel 
is a part of the Pennsylvania depot, and there I made myself comfortable 

until church-time. Brother K called for me in his carriage about ten 

o'clock, and we proceeded together to Christ Church. The snow-storm still 
continuing, influenced the congregation, but notwithstanding we had the 
house well filled. I had a blessed time in preaching. The friends flocked 
enthusiastically around. We have no warmer friends than these large- 
hearted Pittsburghers. The M.'s would take me in their splendid carriage 
to their elegant home for dinner. In the afternoon I addressed the Sun- 
day-school ; then supped at James B.'s, who has a beautiful home on Penn 
Street, and in the evening preached again to a congregation larger than that 
gathered in the morning. This evening I preach again, and leave in the ten 
P. M. train for Harrisburg. Pittsburgh is sharing at this time wonderful re- 
vival influences. The daily prayer-meetings are held in the largest churches, 
and are crowded with interested persons. I observed Mrs. Simpson and 
Miss Ella in my congregation yesterday. This morning I propose to step 
in and pay them my respects. Mrs. H was in her pew clad in the deep- 
est mourning. I of course will call on her during the day. The P fam- 
ily were all in their places, and exceedingly kind. The K.'s have moved 

farther out. They have a nicer home than before. Whether that will 

come is doubtful, but this morning God gave me sweetly this Scripture 



THE PITTSBURGH FRIENDS. 



I8 7 



— 'Why take you thought for raiment,' etc. 'For 'your Heavenly Father 
knoweth that ye have need of these things.' This was so delightful that I 
can leave the whole matter. * * * My soul is full of love for and trust 
in Jesus. In a spiritual sense all is well. My soul is clothed in a spotless 
robe that never wears out. Glory to the Lamb ! The people here are very 
anxious to see you. They speak of you with true, warm, deep love." 

"Pittsburgh, Friday morning, 12 o'clock, 1868. 
" Here I am in smoky Pittsburgh, smoky enough — never smokier. We 
left Philadelphia last evening at eight o'clock. My berth was wide and clean 
and comfortable. I lay down about ten P.M., rested delightfully, and rose 
this morning about seven, as we were descending the mountain. At half- 
past nine we alighted at the Pittsburgh depot, and proceeded to B.'s office ; 
found him in his arm-chair, and received a brother's welcome. He secured 
for me a pass to and from Chicago, so that my railroad expenses will not 
bankrupt me. I have called this morning on a number of brethren, who ex- 
press undiminished love for their former pastor. A little while ago I wan- 
dered through the church, the place of my former ministrations ; saw the 
house where Frank was born — the stone steps where dear Brunie would 
await me when I was returning from the East. The rush of memories nearly 
overpowered me. More of Pittsburgh when we meet. The wedding yes- 
terday was a grand affair. No expense was spared. The company was 

not very large ; the entertainment superb. M looked and behaved 

beautifully. Her husband impressed me most favorably. They went off in 
the half-past six train to take possession of their new and elegant home in 
Brooklyn. A beautiful wreath was presented for Mrs. Cookman, and a bas- 
ket of flowers for her husband. Last, but not least, the fee was . I 

have carefully placed it in my watch-pocket, and, if the temptation is not too 
strong to spend it, I will let you pick my pocket on my return. I am very 
well this morning, and expect to start for Chicago in the two o'clock train, 
reaching my destination about eleven o'clock to-morrow morning. It is a 
long journey, and I expect to get enough of it to last me a lifetime. Mr. 
Punshon is in Chicago ; preaches there to-day. I hope, however, to hear him 
on the Sabbath. Oh, if my darling wife was only with me, then I should be 
entirely satisfied. Your joy is my joy, and I know you would be delighted 
to travel with your itinerant husband. I am with you in spirit almost con- 
stantly, and fervently ask our kind Heavenly Father to watch over you dur- 
ing our absence one from another. Love to all the friends. Kiss my dear 
children for their papa. Tell them to be kind and quiet and good." 



The Rev. W. M. Paxton, D.D.. now of New York, who was the 



i88 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh when Mr. 
Cookman was at Christ Church, has furnished a very pleasing 
testimony to the excellence of his character and the usefulness 
of his ministry. After referring to some of the difficulties which 
Mr. Cookman had to meet, he says : 

" He, however, proved himself fully equal to the emergency. 
I now look back with admiration upon the masterly manner in 
which he met all these difficulties, and turned hostility into 
friendship. His humble, unpretending manner disarmed prej- 
udice ; his sincere, honest heart inspired confidence ; his lov- 
ing, gentle spirit won the affection of the people ; and his able 
and eloquent preaching gave him a high place in the estima- 
tion of the public. His success became apparent upon the first 
day the church was opened, and before the close of the first 
year he had dissipated all opposition, gathered around him a 
large and influential congregation, and established himself in 
the regard of the whole community. At the end of one year, 
when his first term of service expired, such was the desire, not 
only of his own congregation but of the whole community, to 
retain his services, that the bishops were constrained to renew 
his appointment. 

" His whole work in Pittsburgh was admirable in every way. 
He organized his congregation well, preached well, and was in- 
strumental in the conversion of many souls. But, beyond all 
this, he had a large catholic spirit, which brought him into use- 
ful fellowship with his brethren of other denominations, and en- 
listed him in every good work. He was in every sense a Meth- 
odist, but he was not a narrow denominationalist ; and, above 
all, he had nothing in his heart to keep him from rejoicing in 
the success of another's work. 

" His residence in Pittsburgh being within two doors of my 
own, an intimacy sprang up between us, which soon ripened into 
a warm and lasting friendship. The more I knew of him the 
more I loved him. He had an honest heart that inspired trust, 



THE REV. DR. PAXTON'S TESTIMONY. 189 

and made me feel that all his expressions, either of opinion or 
friendship, could be relied upon. His religion was deep, ear- 
nest, and controlling. He believed in heart religion because he 
had an experience of it, and out of the abundance of his heart 
his mouth spoke. With him religion was a pervading princi- 
ple, controlling all thought and action. ' He walked with God.' 
He realized more than most Christians the personal presence 
of the Saviour, and had many blessed seasons of high and holy 
communion as On the Mount. It was upon this rich treasury 
of heart experience that he drew largely for his sermons. His 
spontaneous conversation was upon religion ; it was in his 
heart, and he delighted to talk of it. I have many precious 
recollections of such conversations. He was in all his views 
and convictions a Methodist, and yet in his experience he was 
so much of a Calvinist that we had many 1 good times to- 
gether.' " 

The subjoined characterization of Mr. Cookman and his work 
appeared at the time of his leaving Pittsburgh in one of the 
daily papers of the city : 

" Rev. Alfred Cookman has been with us but two years, yet in that short 
time he has indelibly impressed us with his sincerity as a Christian, his 
worth as a gentleman, and his ability as a pulpit orator. To his value as a 
Christian, his life and zeal in the cause he assumes testifies. Of his worth 
as a gentleman, the many and warm attachments formed during his short 
residence with us are the assurances. Of his ability as an orator, the large 
and discriminating audiences which have attended him are the very best 
evidences. 

"Viewing the tenets of his Church in a spirit of liberality, austerity has 
not characterized his teaching ; inspired with the social value of courtesy, 
his etiquette has not been based upon an exclusive code. Carefully regard- 
ing the end in view, he has not perverted the gifts of oratory to the gratifica- 
tion of vanity. But subordinating every thing to the objects of his ministry, 
he has worthily maintained the dignity of the Christian teacher. Ignoring 
fanaticism in religion, he has not failed to discharge his duties as a citizen. 
Marking the nice distinction between Christian morality and political ethics, 
he has saved his congregation the scandal too many have suffered where the 



190 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



sanctuary has been desecrated by the introduction of party issues. Yet, 
with an ardent patriotism that finds a fitting response within the hearts of 
all who love their country, and which rises too far above mere party to be 
subjected to its criticism, he has pointed out the breakers which threaten 
our noble Ship of State, and conjured us by his eloquence to cling to the 
Bible as the only compass by which she may be safely directed. 

" For all this we regret his loss. Succumbing to its necessity, we can only, 
with the poet, bid him 

" ' Go, speed the stars of thought 
On to their shining goals ; 
The sower scatters broad his seed, 
The wheat thou strewest be souls? " 

He and his family took their final leave of Pittsburgh at 
the midnight hour. So intense was the feeling at parting with 
them, that large numbers of their friends formed a procession 
and accompanied them to the depot, where they took the train 
for Philadelphia. 



CHAPTER XII. 



MINISTRY AT GREEN STREET CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA. — ■ 
REMARKABLE REVIVAL. 

Mr. Cookman's return to Philadelphia was heartily received 
by his brethren of the Conference and the laymen of the city. 
The Green Street charge was especially favored in securing his 
services as their pastor. His fame as a preacher and his effi- 
ciency as a worker had greatly augmented since he had left 
Kensington Station, and his advent to the city was adapted to 
awaken much delight and expectation. The Green Street 
Church was a new, tasteful, and commodious building, with free 
seats, situated among a dense population, and offered every 
advantage for the popular talents of the zealous pastor. He 
was now perfectly in his element. With loving kindred and 
genial friends about him, a comfortable, though not pretentious 
home, a large and enthusiastic society of helpers, a crowded 
and sympathizing congregation, he entered upon a career of 
popularity and usefulness which may be regarded as an epoch 
in his ministry. 

It is doubtful if Philadelphia Methodism has known in its 
whole history a pastoral term of two years more signally fraught 
with proofs of the divine favor and the stable results of evangel- 
ical ministrations than these of our friend at Green Street. 
The scenes under his preaching — the perpetual blaze of re- 
vival, the marked cases of conversion and sanctification — were 
more like the occurrences of primitive Methodism, and showed 
conclusively that the ancient glory had not departed from the 
sons of the fathers. At the close of his second year he reported 
seven hundred members and one hundred and fourteen proba- 



192 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



tioners — a net gain of two hundred and thirty-five persons — 
with large advances in all the collections for benevolent objects, 
especially in that for the missionary cause. 

As an explanation in part of the eminent success of Mr. 
Cookman at Green Street, it may be said that it took place 
during the great religious revival of 1857 and 1858. An awak- 
ening seldom paralleled pervaded all classes of society and 
churches of every communion, extending from the cities to the 
country districts, until there was not a hamlet, however remote, 
which did not feel its power. Waves of divine blessing, in rapid 
succession, rolled over the land ; religion was at the flood — it 
was the theme on every lip ; men turned aside from the busy 
mart at the hour of noon, and thronged the places of prayer ; 
the workshop, the drinking-saloon, the theatre, the highway, 
became consecrated places, where the voice of singing and of 
supplication from earnest penitents and exultant converts was 
heard; the sanctuaries were crowded with men and women, 
asking what they must do to be saved ; not alone the women 
and children, but men — strong, wicked men, who hitherto had 
neither regarded man nor feared God — mourned for their sins, 
and rejoiced in the freedom of forgiveness ; ministers whose 
popularity had declined were invested with new favor, and the 
different denominations, that had been until recently either an- 
tagonistic or indifferent, were suddenly fused into a thorough 
union and co-operation. 

Mr. Cookman knew enough to put himself abreast this divine 
flood, and to move with it. Neither the general spirit of revival 
nor his tact can wholly explain his success. 

It is proper to call attention to an important fact of per- 
sonal experience, which rendered his ministry at Green Street, 
in his own opinion, the most pregnant period of his history. 
It will be remembered that within a few months after ob- 
taining the evidence of "perfect love," through inadvertency 
he lost it. Through these years his position on this great 



SPIRITUAL CONFLICTS. 



193 



subject had not been at all satisfactory to himself. It had been 
hesitating. Doubts, questionings had disturbed his mind ; and 
though he was mainly in sympathy with the doctrine of " full 
salvation," still there was neither a definite view nor a settled 
experience. His ministry was acceptable and useful ; he was 
truly devoted to God and His cause, but yet he was ill at ease, 
and his soul, under a deep sense of unrealized power, was often 
sorrowful. The war of contending feelings marred his peace 
and frittered his strength ; something he needed to lift him out 
of this conflict, and to develop all the resources of his spiritual 
nature into the utmost unity and force. The Spirit of God was 
gently but surely leading him backward and forward at the same 
time — backward to the simple, child-like faith in which he stood 
at Newtown, and forward to the same faith, re-enforced by an 
experience which could more fully guard it, through a knowl- 
edge of the errors that caused its forfeiture, and the memory of 
the bitterness which that forfeiture had entailed. 

Whatever had been lost during these ten years of compara- 
tive failure, all was not lost. I do not mean that simply a saved, 
justified condition had been maintained; this no one can ques- 
tion ; but I mean that there had been progress in the deeper 
knowledge of God's Word, in the more thorough insight to his 
own heart, in the increased confidence in the agencies of the 
Gospel, acquired by a longer and broader observation — all of 
which constituted preparations for that subsequent experience 
which in its marks and results became so signal and abiding. 
To one who has gained some great height by untrodden and 
devious paths, there may seem a much straighter course when 
he looks back over the broad sweep through which he has pass- 
ed ; but he can not say that any step, much less which step, 
has been useless in the successive steps that have brought him 
to the eminence on which he stands. 

There is a certain positiveness in a knowledge which is worked 
out for one's self, to which the soul comes through its own prov- 

I 



194 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ings amid doubts, fears, temptations, that imparts a conviction 
of truthfulness, a tenacity of purpose, which is an indispensable 
element in him who in any sense is to be a leader in God's 
advanced hosts. The stand which Alfred Cookman was about 
to take at Green Street for the doctrine of " perfect love " would 
be quite a different stand from that which he took on Attleboro 
Circuit in the first inexperienced months of his ministry ; not 
different in the nature of the work accomplished, nor in the 
evidences accompanying it, but in the increased capacity which 
he would have to understand, to hold, and to propagate it. 
Thenceforth neither the jokes of his brethren nor the arguments 
of those who, either for cavil or conscience, saw fit to differ with 
him, would be able to move him. 

It was not a necessity that he should have lost the witness of 
entire sanctification, much less that he should have continued 
so long a time without its restoration, but it is a significant fact 
in the history of many of those who have received this witness 
that they seldom remain from the beginning uninterruptedly in 
its possession and enjoyment. From want of a full perception 
of the conditions of the higher order of life, from a defect of 
judgment which can be corrected only by experience, the soul 
which has rejoiced in the evidence of love made perfect not 
unfrequently comes under a darkness which is more or less 
protracted. One of the most merciful provisions of Christian- 
ity is that all believers, of whatever stage of attainment or de- 
gree of faith, may so long as they live learn by the things 
which they suffer, and be corrected by their very mistakes. It 
is of God's infinite wisdom and goodness so to sanctify to the 
good man even his errors, that by them he shall rise into a cor- 
rected and purer life : 

In the summer of 1856, while at Pittsburgh, Mr. Cookman 
entered into a covenant with God, which began to give shape 
to his subsequent experience : 

" Restlessly anxious to enjoy an abiding witness of entire 



COVENANT OF ENTIRE CONSECRATION. 1 95 

sanctification to God, fully satisfied that this is not only a high 
and holy privilege, but a solemn and peremptory obligation, 7", 
Alfred Cookman, on this 16th day of July, 1856, do record the 
following covenant, with a humble reliance on supernatural 
help to assist me in fulfilling it : 

"1. I will considerately, solemnly, cheerfully, fully devote my- 
self to God, consecrating the various faculties of my mind and 
body, together with the different talents which the providence 
of God has blessed me with. 

" 2. I will endeavor to remember that a strict and constant 
self-denial is a principal element of the Christian character ; 
hence, without reference to my own will or inclination, I will 
consent to be governed by God's revealed truth and the inward 
illumination of His Holy Spirit. 

" To particularize some points of duty : 

" Finding that I can not habitually use tobacco with a clear 
conscience, I will resolve to abstain frcm it altogether. 

" I will endeavor to be more prompt and energetic in the dis- 
charge of all my duties. 

" Teaching, as I do, the advantage and efficiency of prayer, 
I will myself seek to commune more frequently and intimately 
with God. 

" In my intercourse with society, I will endeavor to be more 
spiritual in my conversation, keeping in view constantly the 
glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

" I will study the spirit and character of my Saviour, and 
labor to possess all the mind which was in Christ Jesus my 
Lord. 

" I will frequently give this covenant a prayerful perusal. 

" Now, how can I conform to this standard unless assisted by 
the blessed Spirit? Feebler than a bruised reed, I shall cer- 
tainly fail unless helped from above. Oh, Eternal Father, for 
the alone sake of the Saviour, give me the Holy Spirit to 
strengthen me with might in my inner man, that I may be able 



196 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



to glorify Thee in my body and spirit, which I this day conse- 
crate to Thee." 

As joints to stalks, condensing their substance and giving 
firmness for the support of further growth ; as knots in the 
threads, binding them into unity and strength as hither and 
thither they cross each other in weaving the fisher's net, so the 
covenants of good men gather up their otherwise scattered re- 
sources, and compact them into the higher forms of spiritual 
efficiency. 

I give in his own words the account of his restoration to 
this great scriptural blessing :* 

" Oh, how many precious years I wasted in quibbling and 
debating respecting the great differences, not seeing that I was 
antagonizing a doctrine which must be spiritually discerned, 
and the tendency of which is to bring people nearer God. 
Meanwhile I had foolishly fallen into the habit of using tobac- 
co, an indulgence which, while it afforded, palatably, gratifica- 
tion, at the same time seemed to satisfy both my nervous and 
social nature. Years elapsed. When I would confront the 
obligation of entire consecration, the sacrifice of my foolish 
habit would be presented as a test of obedience ; I would con- 
sent. Light, strength, and blessing were the result. Afterward 
temptation would be presented. I would listen to suggestions 
like this : £ This is one of the good things of God ; your religion 
does not require a course of asceticism ; this indulgence is not 
specifically forbidden in the New Testament; some good peo- 
ple whom you know are addicted to this practice,' thus seeking 
to quiet an uneasy conscience. I would draw back into the 
old habit again. After a while I began to see that the indul- 
gence at best was doubtful for me, and that I was giving my 
carnality rather than my Christian experience the benefit of the 
doubt. It could not harm me to give it up, while to persist in 
the practice was costing me too much in my religious enjoyment. 

* Substantially as published in " The Guide to Holiness," New York. 



THE THREE STEPS TO HOLINESS. 



197 



"I found that after all my objections to sanctification as a 
distinct work of grace, there was nevertheless a conscious lack 
in my own religious experience — it was not strong, round, full, 
abiding. I frequently asked myself, 'What is that I need and 
desire in comparison with what I have and profess ?' I looked 
at the three steps insisted upon by the friends of holiness, name- 
ly : ' First, entire consecration ; second, acceptance of Jesus mo- 
ment by moment as a perfect Saviour ; third,. a meek and defi- 
nite profession of the grace received,' and I said 1 these are 
scriptural and reasonable duties.' 

" The remembrance of my experience in Newtown supplied 
an overwhelming confirmation of all this, and at the same time 
a powerful stimulant in the direction of duty. What then ? 1 1 
will cast aside all preconceived theories, doubtful indulgences, 
and culpable unbelief, and retrace my steps.' Alas ! that I 
should have wandered from the light at all, and afterward wasted 
so many years in vacillating between self and God. Can I ever 
forgive myself? Oh, what bitter, bitter memories ! The ac- 
knowledgment I make is constrained by candor and a concern 
for others. It is the greatest humiliation of my life. If I had 
the ear of those who have entered into the clearer light of Chris- 
tian purity, I would beseech and charge them with a brother's 
interest and earnestness that they be warned by my folly. Oh, 
let such consent to die, if it were possible, ten deaths before they 
willfully depart from the path of holiness ; for, if they retrace 
their steps, there will still be the remembrance of original purity 
tarnished, and that will prove a drop of bitterness in the cup of 
their sweetest comfort. 

" Eternal praise to my long-suffering Lord, nearly ten years 
have elapsed since, as the pastor of Green Street Church in the 
city of Philadelphia, I again carefully and fully dedicated my all 
to God, the consecration of course including the doubtful indul- 
gence. I said, c I will try to abstain for Christ's sake ; I trust 
I would do any thing for His sake, and certainly I can consent 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



to this self-denial that Jesus may be glorified.' I again accept- 
ed Christ as my Saviour from all sin, realized the witness of 
the same Spirit, and since then have been walking in the light 
as God is in the light, realizing that experimental doctrine of 
the fellowship and communion with saints, and humbly and 
gratefully testify that the blood of Jesus cleanseth me from all 
sin. ' As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye 
in him that is, as I understand, ' Maintain the same attitude 
before God you assumed when you accepted Christ as your all- 
sufficient Saviour.' I received Him in a spirit of entire conse- 
cration, implicit faith, and humble confession. The constant 
repetition of these three steps, I find, enables me to walk in 
Him. I can not afford for a single moment ever to remove my 
offering, to fail in looking unto Jesus, or to part with the spirit 
of confession. 

"Thus I have honestly unfolded some personal experience 
in connection with the higher life; the recital humbles me in 
the dust, as it calls up the memory of years of vacillating and 
unsatisfactory religious life, but it also fills me with the pro- 
foundest gratitude for that abounding grace which not only 
bore with me, but brought me to see again my privilege in the 
Gospel, and now for ten years has been preserving me in the 
experience and blessing, and in the profession of this great 
grace. Precious reader, I now offer you the testimony; but 
mark, before it meets your eye it has been carefully placed upon 
the Altar that sanctifieth the gift, and an earnest prayer offered 
that it may be blessed to your spiritual profit. As you lay 
clown this humble article, will you not, for your own sake and 
for the Church's sake, resolve to be entirely and eternally the 
Lord's? God help and bless you." 

The candor, directness, and fervor which pervade this state- 
ment must commend it to every one. The "Tobacco Test" 
was for himself alone ; the use of tobacco was in his way, in 
the full consecration which he sought to make to God ; he 



COMPREHENSIVE VIEWS ON HOLINESS. 



did not pretend to raise it as a question for any one else. With 
him whatsoever is not of faith is sin ; what he could not do con- 
scientiously, he could not do at all ; but he would have others 
to think and act for themselves in doubtful matters, believing 
that every man should be fully persuaded in his own mind. 
Mr. Cookman. in the presentation of the Christian life, was the 
farthest removed from a narrow and censorious spirit; he never 
raised artificial conditions; was not given to the specifying of 
isolated acts either of self-denial or performance, but rather in- 
culcated a broad, deep, thorough devotion, under whose enlight- 
ened impulse he was sure the new-born, or the wholly sanctified 
soul, would adjust itself to the divine requirements. It was of 
little consequence to him whether a brother accepted literally 
his methods or opinions on minor points of personal habit, so 
he had the root of holiness, and showed in his life its essential 
fruits. Here was a point which aided not a little to give him 
influence over all classes of minds. 

Nothing can possibly exceed the emphasis with which our 
friend was henceforth committed to the doctrine of " perfect 
love." "Heart purity" — a favorite expression with him — was 
from this time to the close of his life the distinctive theme 
of his ministry ; not. however, to the exclusion of other topics, 
but as comprehending all phases of Christian truth, penetrating 
and vivifying them with its light. It absorbed his best thoughts ; 
it was the burden of his ablest sermons ; it was that which was 
best in him as a man ; his whole being was permeated with its 
unction : at home or abroad, in the pulpit or the social circle, 
in the study or by the sea-shore, at the altar of prayer or by the 
sick-bed, the instinct of his soul, the atmosphere of his life, was 
" Holiness to the Lord.'* 

In connection with his preaching talents, his skill as an ad- 
ministrator of Church affairs, his aptitude with the Sunday- 
school, and his engaging manners, this rebaptism with the Spirit 
of power at Green Street was most opportune. It fully equip- 



200 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ped him as a good soldier of Christ for the arduous and event- 
ful campaign which lay before him. What a pity it is that the 
details of a pastorate so replete with incident and instruction 
are almost wholly lost for the want of any proper record. The 
words spoken, the deeds done, are bearing fruit in souls, and 
their only transcript is the holy and .happy lives they helped 
to form. 

The revival spoken of began during the first winter (1857-8) 
of Mr. Cookman's ministry at Green Street. I extract a few 
entries from his pocket-diary as indicative of the progress of 
the work for January and February : 

"January 1, 1858. — The first day of a new year. Oh, that it may prove 
the best day of my life ! Our watch-night was solemn and profitable. De- 
livered an address this afternoon at a Sabbath-school anniversary. 

"Januarys — Preached in the morning on 'Having a mind to work.' 
Eight joined — four probation, four certificate. Made a Sabbath-school ad- 
dress in the afternoon. Preached at night on ' The loss of the soul.' A 
solemn meeting ; fourteen at the altar ; two professed conversion. To 
God be all the glory ! 

" January 4. — Greatly exhausted to-day. Attended a funeral. Twenty at 
the altar. Brother Coombe preached for me — ' Work out,' etc. Two young 
men converted. Praise the Lord, O my soul ! 

" January 5. — Spent most of the day in the court-room, to which I had 
been summoned as a witness. Brother Coombe preached a powerful sermon 
from 'Pure and undefiled religion.' Seventeen or eighteen at the altar, 
twelve of whom professed conversion. 

"January 6. — Wasted a good part of the day at court. Led a large 

class. Called on Mr. and Mrs. R . Preached at night from 'Behold, 

I stand at the door and knock.' Sixteen at the altar ; three professed 
conversion. 

" January 7. — Trial still pending. Led a large class. Brother Coombe 
preached — ' If only we have hope.' Twelve at the altar ; three converted. 

" January 8. — Wasted a good deal of time at the court-room. Brother 
Milby preached at night ; only two forward. O Lord, revive Thy work ! 

" January 9. — Visited court-room in the morning ; attended Old Folks' 
concert in the afternoon ; spent the evening in my study — not very well. 

"Sunday, January 10. — Preached, with unusual liberty, on the subject of 
entire self-consecration. Administered the sacrament in the afternoon. 



PROGRESS OF THE REVIVAL. 



201 



Fourteen joined the Church on probation, two by certificate. Brother 
Coombe preached at night; five at the altar; one converted. A good 
day. 

"January II. — Attended preachers' meeting; spent a good part of the 
day in the court-room. Brother Dunham preached very acceptably at night 
from 'One thing is needful,' etc. Five at the altar; one blessed. Letter 
from Trenton. 

"January 13. — Brother Coombe preached; seven or eight forward; two 
converted. 

" January 14. — Brother R. Humphries preached ; eight or nine at the 
altar ; two converted. 

"January 15. — Brother Jennings preached; ten at the altar; two con- 
verted. 

" January 16. — God has given me my first daughter. Oh, how multiplied 
are Heaven's mercies ! 

" January 17. — Preached with considerable liberty on the ' Horrible pit,' 
etc. Heard Dr. Stockton in the afternoon. Preached again at night on the 
solemn subject of 'Death.' Twelve at the altar ; one converted. Glory to 
God! 

" January 18. — Dr. Cook preached for me at night ; fourteen at the altar; 
four converted. 

" January 19. — Lectured in Trenton, N. J. ; a pleasant visit. Dr. Cook 
preached for me ; twelve at the altar. 

" January 20. — Returned from Trenton ; wrote letters to ; love-feast 

at night ; a precious season ; ten or twelve at the altar ; one or two con- 
versions. 

" January 21. — Preparing material for a charity sermon. Led a large 
class. Brother J. Thomson preached for me at night — a capital discourse. 
Twelve or eighteen at the altar ; one converted. 

"January 22— Wrote to B. F. J., L. W. K., E. M. H. Called on Helen P., 
W. G. S., and Captain S. Dr. Alday preached an excellent sermon from 
' God be merciful,' etc. Twelve or thirteen at the altar. 

"January 21. — Received a letter from Washington. 

" January 24. — Preached in the morning on the duty of systematic benefi- 
cence ; collection $200. In the evening on ' Ho ! every one that thirsteth ;' 
twenty at the altar — a number of young men ; one converted. To God be 
all the glory. 

" January 26. — Went to market. Accomplished little in my study. Vis- 
ited. Brother Curtis preached from ' Come unto me,' etc. ; sixteen at the 
altar ; four converted. Glory be to the Father,. Son, and Holy Ghost 

I 2 



202 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



" January 27. — Preached at night from ' I have a message,' etc. One of 
the best meetings we have had ; fifteen or eighteen forward for prayers ; four 
or five blessed. 

" January 28. — Very sick, one of my bilious attacks, with cold — under the 
care of the physician. Brother J. Thomson preached ; two or three con- 
verted. 

"January 29. — Considerably better to-day, but greatly prostrated. 
Brother Fernly preached. 

" January 30. — Nothing special. Far from being well. 

"January 31. — Preached in the morning from 'Ye call me Lord and 
Master,' etc. John preached for me at night. A most solemn and interest- 
ing occasion ; eight or ten forward; one blessed." 

I give a few extracts for the month of February : 

" February 6. — Started for Washington ; spent an hour or two in Balti- 
more ; reached our place of destination about five in the afternoon ; cordially 
received. 

" February 7. — Preached the dedication sermon of Waugh Chapel ; con- 
siderable liberty. John preached in the afternoon ; Brother Dashiell in the 
evening ; upward of $1500 raised. A good day. 

"February 8. — Visited the Capitol, Smithsonian, etc. Heard a most ex- 
citing discussion in the Senate, and saw many friends. Lectured at night in 
the P'oundry Church. 

" February 9. — Returned home ; all well. Heard of Bishop Waugh 's 
death. Patterson preached at night ; four blessed. 

" February 12. — Eighteen at the altar. 

" February 14. — Preached a missionary sermon in the morning — ' What 
think ye of Christ ?' A good day. 

"February 15. — Preachers' meeting; general class; twenty-five at the 
altar ; four or five converted. 

"February 16. — Lectured in the Kensington Church in behalf of the Soup 
Society. Brother Seys preached at night ; three or four blessed. 

"February 17. — Fifteen at the altar ; seven converted. 

"February 21. — A triumphant day. Brother Hagany and Bishop Janes 
both preached admirably. $1500 will probably be our missionary contribu- 
tion. 

" February 22. — Preachers' meeting ; dined at mother's ; good meeting at 
night ; eight at the altar ; one or two converted. 

" February 23. — Wrote to S. Thomas ; attended Helen P.'s funeral ; was 
present at a meeting of the Board of Managers of the Tract Society." 



AN EXAMPLE OF HIS PREACHING. 



203 



Here this fragmentary diary closes. I present it as showing 
not only the progress of the revival, but also the busy life of 
the young city pastor. Religious services night after night, 
with all the taxing cares of a great awakening ; special services 
in the city and abroad, in lectures for feeble societies and dedi- 
catory sermons for new churches. Elastic as was his physical 
frame, he is seen sometimes almost sinking under sickness, yet 
he scarcely stops his arduous labors, but gets well " in the 
harness." In the midst of these engrossing parochial cares 
he was touching the religious community at all points, was well- 
nigh ubiquitous in all city evangelical movements. Alfred 
Cookman was then, as always, a man of sheer hard work and 
of all work. He shunned no task however severe or forbidding. 

I have at hand a report of one of his sermons preached dur- 
ing this great revival. Its insertion is in point, as tending to 
illustrate the style of his extemporaneous discourses, and the 
character of those thrilling home-thrust appeals by which he 
roused the consciences of his hearers : 

" ' Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee? 

" These words, contained in St. Luke's Gospel, twelfth chapter and twen- 
tieth verse, constitute the subject of a sermon preached last Sabbath even- 
ing in the Methodist Church, Green Street, below Eleventh, by the pastor, 
Rev. Alfred Cookman. 

" Mr. Cookman is among the youngest members of the ministry of Phila- 
delphia, and so too among the most promising of their number. His genius 
seems to be eagle-winged, soaring aloof from either notes or manuscript, 
and pouring itself out in an easy-flowing stream of eloquence, as sublime in 
its flights as it is forcible in argument. 

" The popular appreciation of this promising young preacher is well ex- 
pressed in the immense audiences which usually throng the church in which 
he is stationed. On the present occasion the house was literally crowded. 
In attempt'ng a synopsis of his able discourse, however, we shall endeavor 
rather to preserve the chain of his argument than to give a faithful transcript 
on paper of his style of oratory. * * * 

" The speaker here announced that the special point of inquiry to which 
he desired to call the attention of his hearers was, 



204 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



'IN WHAT DID THIS MAN'S FOLLY CONSIST.' 

" ' The most degrading epithet to be found in the vocabulary of language 
had been applied to the subject referred to in the parable. 

" ' Such an expression ("thou fool"), coming from the source it did, must 
have had sufficient reason to sustain it. But here arose the difficulty. The 
great principle intended to be taught by this parable . the reasoning of the 
world was not prepared to receive. Here, indeed, was the issue. The judg- 
ment of God was arrayed against the judgment of unconverted man. 

"'To proceed, however, with the investigation into the folly of this rich 
owner of certain lands, we should probably be told, first — in vindication of 
his course — that he had been a rich man ; and it was an undisputable fact 
that riches covered a multitude of sins ! He knew, from the fact that rich 
men were almost universally lauded for their wisdom, that the process of 
fastening the charge of folly upon so distinguished a one of their number 
was no idle undertaking. Again, it would be plead in his behalf that he 
had been industrious and persevering, and had, as a consequence, reaped an 
abundant harvest as his reward ; but the question here arose, " Do enter- 
prise and wisdom, in all cases, constitute synonymous terms ?" He thought 
not. Moreover, he would probably be accounted a wise man because he 
had taken thought, within himself, as to "what he should do." 

" ' Yes, he had taken thought, and the conclusion of his thoughts had 
been that he would build new barns, and on announcing this resolution he 
did not doubt but that he had been regarded as the very wisest man in all 
that region. But, again, the world would give him credit for acting wisely, 
in that he had resolved to enjoy himself with the good things he had accu- 
mulated all the rest of his days — for having taken a resolution, probably, of 
associating with him in his enjoyments a few select boon companions, who 
should revel with him in the delight he was then picturing to his soul.' 

" Here the speaker saw pictured before his imagination the phantom of 
this prince reclining upon his silken couch at the dead hour of night, revolv- 
ing in his mind the glorious future that awaited him. This delineation was at 
once artistic, eloquent, and thrilling. \ It was at the dead hour of night : the 
laborers of his fields were soundly slumbering in other apartments of his 
splendid dwelling ; but sleep on her airy pinions came not to woo his wake- 
ful soul to regions of repose. No, no — his mind was too much engaged in 
counting over the vastness of his wealth ; picturing before his excited vision 
the full-grown proportions of his newly conceived barns ; devising the mag- 
nificent entertainments with which he meant to regale his admiring friends. 
So his soul was wandering into the treacherous regions of the undiscovered 
future, counting up the years of pleasure yet to come, when lo ! suddenly as 



A SERMON. — THE RICH FOOL. 



205 



the lightning's flash, a voice aroused him — a voice from a quarter least ex- 
pected and most dreaded thundered in his ear the terrible doom — " This 
night ! — thy sotd shall be required of thee /" 

" ' Never had Belshazzar been more terrified when the miraculous hand 
had written his doom upon the wall of his banqueting-chamber than had 
this rich man been at this midnight announcement. Never had Saul of 
Tarsus been more awe-struck when at the gates of Damascus he had been 
stricken sightless from his horse by a light from heaven, than had this man 
been on hearing his unlooked-for doom at this silent hour of the night. 
And well it might be so. His transition from the regions of his vision into 
the vestibule of eternity, in a single instant, and the certainty that before the 
rosy dawn of morn he should appear in the presence of a sin-judging Jeho- 
vah, were enough to have wrung from his lips the burning confession — " 'Tis 
true, I am a fool indeed !" 

" ' But he would ask again, Wherein did his folly most particularly ap- 
pear ? 

" 'His answer to this would be, first, "Because he had forgotten the claims 
of God!" He had undertaken to arrange for himself a train of future happi- 
ness — had begun the work of hewing out for himself " broken cisterns that 
could hold no water" — had lost sight of the living pleasures of the future — 
was indeed basking in pleasures to some extent of which God does not wish 
to deprive his children ; but the matter which pre-eminently stamped him as 
a fool was that he had forgotten the Author of all his mercies. 

" ' When he had retired at night, good angels had long watched around 
his couch, but they heard no voice of thankfulness offered to their Father in 
Heaven. Others had mourned in penitence over their transgressions, but 
he had no tears to shed over his sins ; others had plead for favors from the 
Divine Hand, but he had no prayer to offer ; others had prayed for light to 
see the truth, but he had no such desire, for "he loved darkness rather than 
light, because his deeds were evil ;" and from all this it was that the appella- 
tion of "fool" had been justly applied to him. 

" ' But his folly was apparent, in the second flace, because he had forgotten 
the claims of his soul. 

" ' He had said, " Soul, take thine ease," and herein had been committed 
his capital mistake. What an insult to the soul was this ! to undertake to 
satisfy the future longings of the soul by offering it a species of gratification 
that would be equally tempting to a brute ! 

" ' "A fool !" exclaims the objector, with perfect astonishment, "and did he 
not assiduously employ his thinking faculties ? did he not ask within himself 
what he should do ?" Yes, he admitted that he had asked this question ; 



206 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



and had it been in his (the speaker's) province to reply, he should have an- 
swered him, "feed the hungry and clothe the naked;" but his inquiry had 
not been what he should do to be saved, but what he should do for his 
body. All his inquiries had been concerning matters confined to this world, 
entirely forgetting the capacities and duration of the soul.' Here the speaker 
inserted an emphatic pause, and then continued, that he ' hoped all his hearers 
would duly consider the value of an immortal soul — and withal consider 
well the uncertain character of its earthly pilgrimage. Poised, as it were, 
upon a little point of time, with heaven above, hell beneath, and eternity be- 
yond, requiring but the slightest vibration of Jehovah's breath to blow it 
away forever ! 

" ' To neglect this, no matter what might be our earthly achievements, we 
should gain nothing. " For what shall it profit a man (he prayed to God 
that this inquiry might sink deep into our hearts) if he gain the whole world 
and lose his own soul ?" 

" ' But again : He had not only forgotten the claims of the soul, but also 
the claims of death. "Soul, thou hast laid up for many years," had been 
his declaration. And what a declaration this for a being whose breath was 
in his nostrils ! It was well to bear in mind that of all known uncertainties, 
life was the most uncertain. Wealth, by means of strong walls and iron 
chests, might be safely secured ; reputation, by preserving a strict correct- 
ness in all our walks and actions, might be retained ; but see ! how is it with 
human life ? Mark yonder railroad train flying along the iron way with 
lightning speed — there is a sudden crash ! It was the work of an instant ; and 
now we may pass around among the dead, the dying, and the wounded of 
that mass of living, happy beings but a moment before ! Yes, even to-day 
the realization of a scene like this had been echoed through our streets, and 
his hearers had doubtless heard of it. 

" ' Die we must, be our circumstances whatever they may. We could not 
tell what would become of us, yet heaven or hell must be our destiny. 

" ' Death had come to the rich man in the text, and at the dead hour of 
night laid his skeleton hand upon him, and thundered into his ears, " This 
night thy soul shall be required !" Then probably the first prayer had been 
wrung from those ungrateful lips, as he implored the fell messenger to spare 
him but till morning, that he might take leave of his family, or that he might 
execute his will, or, above all, that he might have if it were but an hour to 
make his peace with God. But no ! the decree of the avenger had gone 
forth, and was inexorable in its demands. Now was the time — now he must 
die ! 

" ' Oh ! how great had been the folly of this man — and yet there were 



DEDICATION IN WASHINGTON, D. C. 



207 



many of us quite as foolish as he : like fools we were living, and, like the 
arch infidel Voltaire, when we come to die it would be to "take a leap in 
the dark." 

" ' But lastly : He had not only forgotten the claims of God, of his soul, 
and of death, but he had forgotten the claims of judgment. The evidences 
of Scripture were most explicit that "what a man soweth, that shall he also 
reap." Another rule was, that in proportion as we had received it would 
be required of us in the end. And in view of this, he would ask of the soul 
that had never been washed in the laver of regeneration — that had never 
responded to the noble impulses of a god-like charity, but whose whole ex- 
istence had been devoted to the circumscribed limits of self-aggrandizement 
— of what value was it all ? for in the hour of death all would have to be 
given, up. And then that awful future ! where, instead of drinking of the 
pure, delightful waters that flow from beneath the Father's throne, the lost 
soul must drink the bitter cup of the Father's wrath, even to its dregs ; and, 
instead of basking amid the melodies of heavenly anthems, must forever 
dwell amid the desponding echoes of the groans of the tormented.' 

" The above sermon was an extemporaneous effort entirely, and elicited 
the most marked attention throughout its delivery." 

The services of Mr. Cookman, at the dedication of Waugh 
Chapel, referred to in his diary, produced at Washington the 
impression which the advent of a " Cookman " was adapted to 
make in the national capital. A correspondent of one of our 
Advocates wrote of the occasion : 

" I will allude to but one more point, and that is the dedica- 
tion of Waugh Chapel last Sabbath. The services were ex- 
tremely interesting. The sermons in the morning and afternoon 
were preached by the Revs. Alfred Cookman and John Emory 
Cookman, both sons of the late lamented George Cookman, 
who was lost on the ill-fated President. Both of these young 
men partake in a remarkable degree of the spirit and eloquence 
which characterized their father, especially as seen in his little 
volume of published speeches and sermons. The sermon in the 
morning was a beautiful exposition of the reasons why the apos- 
tle 'gloried in the Cross,' in which the youthful speaker held 
an overflowing audience, among whom were many members of 



208 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Congress and judges of the Supreme Court, in almost breathless 
attention for more than an hour. In the afternoon there was 
another great crowd to hear John Emory Cookman, who is, I 
learn, only nineteen years of age, and who has been a member 
of the Church but one year. Both of these young men are des- 
tined ere long, if their lives are spared, to rank among the most 
popular pulpit orators in our country." 

Among the conversions with which God honored the minis- 
try of Mr. Cookman during this period was that of his brother 
George, who, though next oldest to himself, had never before 
professed saving faith in Christ. On the first Sabbath evening 
of January, 1859, Mr. Cookman preached a most solemn and 
earnest sermon on the word "Now" to an immense congrega- 
tion, and at its close invited penitents to the altar. He was 
feeling that night an especial solicitude for the conversion of 
his brother. The brother was seated in the rear of the choir 
(front) gallery, and, though the obstacles were apparently great, 
he deliberately arose, descended to the lower floor, and came 
forward to the altar and was converted. Nothing could exceed 
the joy of the pastor at this result, in which the brother who 
had been the companion of his boyhood was given to him in 
the fellowship of Jesus. The two became inseparable workers 
for the Master — George rivaling in the ranks of the laity the 
zeal and usefulness of Alfred in the ranks of the ministry. If 
Alfred's ministry at Green Street had done nothing more than 
to give to Methodism and to Christianity at large in Philadel- 
phia, George Cookman, as an example of piety and earnest 
work, it would have been enough. His career was destined to 
be short, but full of good fruits, and such as only few young lay- 
men in America have lived. 

As evincing the manifold character of Mr. Cookman's minis- 
try at this time, his adaptation to all classes, the attractiveness 
of his singularly pure and persuasive influence, there was a 
young Friend taken into the Church by him who has since filled 



MISS ANNIE E. DICKINSON. 



209 



no small place in the public estimation. This thoughtful, ar- 
dent young woman found in Mr. Cookman's spirit and instruc- 
tions what her nature needed. She came out from the Society 
of Friends, and united with the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
She showed a genuine piety, an inquiring temper, and promise 
of marked usefulness. What her precise relations to the Chris- 
tian Church may be at present, I do not know; but there is 
not a loyal heart in all America that has not beaten respon- 
sively to the truthful, brave, and eloquent words which she 
afterward uttered in the nation's darkest trials. Her scathing 
rebukes of treason and her searching exposures of wrong, her 
animated, cheerful eulogies of liberty, heroism, and the flag, 
have roused to hatred of violence and to love of right even 
where the arguments of men had failed. I refer to Miss Annie 
E. Dickinson. The tribute which she has kindly written to 
the memory of him who was for so brief a time her pastor 
abundantly attests the depth of her attachment for him, and 
proves that her heart must be in sympathy with the great truths 
which it was his single joy to advance. 
To the Rev. John E. Cookman : 

" It is not an easy task you mark me. * * * Years have gone by since I 
sat down by your brother, looked into a face that warmed like the sun, and 
listened to a voice that called me away from all things poor and mean and 
earthly, as a strain of celestial music might call. 

" Long years full of strife and care and toil — yet face and voice seem and 
sound as clear as though they shone and spoke but yesterday. 

" A love of humanity wide as humanity, a charity inexhaustible, an ear- 
nestness that stirred the most careless, a hungering and thirsting after right- 
eousness — not for its rewards — a tireless effort in season and out of season, 
with tender, yet powerful touch to mould and fashion others into the like- 
ness of the Master ; a longing so boundless to be like his Master, as to wear 
through flesh and blood full early, and carry the sanctified soul to know 
Him ' face to face.' 

" This was Alfred Cookman. 

" Sad hearts out of count has he left behind ; eyes will grow dim and 
voices choked for years to come, when they think of or speak his name. 



2IO LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 

I 

For he was one of those rare souls so exalted as to breathe the atmosphere 
of heaven, yet so gently human as to draw love and tenderness from whoso 
approached him. 

" So his life seems to me, and, so seeming, I would that my pen were 
gifted with some of his subtle power to show it forth to others. 
"As it is, I speak from my heart." 

Only one letter of Mr. Cookman of this particular period has 
come into my possession. It was written on his birthday to 
his wife at her parental home in Columbia, and breathes the 
child-like, playful spirit, the earnest, constant zeal which so uni- 
formly and beautifully blended in his daily life. I can imagine 
the air of conscious dignity with which the presents of the little 
brothers were accepted, as though they had conferred upon 
their papa a real benefaction. 

To his wife, Mrs. Annie E. Cookman : 

" Philadelphia, Tuesday afternoon, January 4, 1859. 
" Certainly you will expect me to act the correspondent on my birthday. 
Thirty-one years ago I struck Columbia in my descent to this sorrow-smit- 
ten planet. From that starting-point I have prosecuted an eventful and, in 
most respects, a delightful pilgrimage. To-day I erect my Ebenezer again, 
and gratefully acknowledge ' hitherto hath the Lord helped me.' Our meet- 
ing is progressing with considerable interest and success. Last night, des- 
pite the snow-storm, the body of the church was quite well filled. Brother 
E. J. Way preached an excellent sermon. Ten presented themselves for 
prayers, and four were happily converted. George is proceeding most pros- 
perously in his Christian course ; he says he is perfectly satisfied. Saidie 
tells us that last night he went to bed, joyously singing, 'I will believe, I 
now believe, that Jesus died for me.' Nothing, she estimates, could exceed 
his tenderness and kindness to her. He was always faithful and affection- 
ate, but now, she states, there is an expression and exhibition of this feeling 
she has never seen before. It will inaugurate a new epoch in their domestic 
history. Saidie is resolved that George shall not go to heaven without 
her. Her mind, I think, is made up to walk with him in the narrow way. 
She talks about nothing else, and weeps almost constantly. Oh, that her 
night may soon end in joyous day ! The children are both well. Just now 
they came into my study and placed on my table their porte-monnaies, saying, 
' Pa, this is your birthday present from us.' Dear little fellows, they did it 



THE SECRET OF HIS USEFULNESS. 



211 



of their own accord, and in perfect good faith. I put their present in my 
pocket, and thanked them very sincerely. They will not be separated. 
George asks a great many questions about his sister Annie ; wants to know 
if she will live after the doctor cuts her with his lancet. When I speak of 
ma's return, their little eyes dance with delight." 

I close the Green Street pastorate with a brief testimony 
from J. F. Bird, M.D., a member of the charge : 

" He got behind the 'Cross' on the occasion of his first sermon, and there 
remained until his term, which continued for two years, was ended. The 
young people crowded to hear him, and very many became earnest members 
of the Church through his instrumentality, and are now doing good service 
in ' every good word and work.' Among them was his brother George. 
At one of the most interesting services ever held in this or any other church, 
this dearly beloved brother presented himself at the altar, and very soon was 
happily converted. In writing to an absent friend, giving an account of this 
conversion, he said, ' I shout with my pen and with my soul over the auspi- 
cious event.' He had labored for it and prayed for it incessantly by night 
and by day, and therefore could not but ' shout ' when his desire was real- 
ized. 

" Mr. Cookman always regarded this appointment as one of the happiest, 
as it was one of the most successful, of his ministerial career. He labored 
for the good of the people. He lost sight of self. This was the secret of his 
success. An intelligent member of the Church was asked by a member of 
the Conference what was ' the secret of Cookman's success.' The answer 
was, ' His evident desire to do the people good.' " 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE UNION CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA. SLAVERY AGITATION. — 

CHRISTIAN UNION. 

The next turn of the itinerant wheel did not take Mr. Cook- 
man far. He was appointed by Bishop Scott to the Union 
Church on Fourth Street, in March, 1859. The Union charge 
is the next oldest to St. George's in the city, and is surrounded 
by business houses, which have from year to year pressed out 
the resident population to remoter sections. It is still a strong 
station ; but at the time Mr. Cookman was sent to it, before 
other charges had been created, either wholly or partially from 
its membership, it was a powerful organization, including some 
of the most influential families of Methodism. Many of these 
families came from a distance, preferring to continue in con- 
nection with a Church with which they had been so long in 
close fellowship to joining those which were nearer their resi- 
dences. The Union was consequently not so favorably located 
for a large congregation ; but its proximity to the hotels and 
its free seats were advantageous conditions, and Mr. Cookman's 
popularity began immediately to produce an increased attend- 
ance upon the public services. 

As indicative of the high estimate in which Mr. Cookman's 
ministry was held, I make a brief extract from a letter of Mr. 
Thomas L. Mason, a well-known member of Union Church. 
Writing to the Rev. John E. Cookman, he says : 

" When Alfred was in Pittsburgh he promised me that, if the appointing 
power would agree to it, he would be pleased to be pastor of Union. When 
Conference met, Green Street (being heavily in debt) insisted upon having 
him, and to accommodate our Green Street friends we gave in, with the un- 



CONGENIAL AND HELPFUL FRIENDS. 



213 



derstanding that at the expiration of two years he would be sent to Union 
— and so he was. Our parsonage was in Eighth Street, above Race, but, to 
accommodate his little children, we removed it to 224 North Fifth Street, 
and partially refurnished it. He was received at Union with open arms and 
open hearts. Our congregations were good, our finances much improved. 
He was particularly successful with the young." 

Mr. Cookman had the happiness of having many choice 
friends in the congregation. There were those under his min- 
istry who had long held him in the highest personal esteem. 
His whole nature found scope for its gratification. Around 
genial hearth-stones his sanctified affections enjoyed agreeable 
companionship, while in the Church his hands were strength- 
ened by judicious counsels and tender sympathies. The Rev. 
Andrew Longacre, laid aside by feeble health from the active 
work of the ministry, was a member of the congregation, and 
ministered, by his calm and gentle friendship, to his comfort 
and usefulness. His brother George, in the first flush of spirit- 
ual grace, with uncommon endowments of speech and song, 
was at his elbow. His own mother, also, was one of his flock. 
She who had so often fed him with the Word of life, must now 
be fed by him. But now, as before and since, she gave, if pos- 
sible, more than she received. To lean on the support of a 
wisdom which, in his opinion, had become almost oracular, a 
faith which knew no abatement, a zeal which no waters could 
quench, was to him no slight privilege, a rich blessing in so ar- 
duous a position. There, too, was the sanctuary in the private 
house of Mr. J. B. Longacre, on Spring Garden Street, which 
the pastor could regard as very much his own, and to which, as 
to a quiet haven, he habitually resorted. The eldest daughter 
of Mr. Longacre, Mrs. John Keen, upon the decease of her de- 
vout mother, still maintained the meetings for "holiness " which 
her mother had founded. These meetings had been from their 
commencement a gathering-point for the friends of the higher 
Christian life in Philadelphia. Here Mr. Cookman's heart was 



214 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



often refreshed ; and issuing thence with deeper, calmer thoughts 
of God, he entered upon the recurring duties of his large and 
laborious pastorate with perceptibly increased vigor and suc- 
cess. 

More than ever before, the earnest pastor, thus beloved at 
home, was in demand abroad. Whether announced in his own 
city or in any other place, on special occasions, he was sure to 
be greeted by a throng of people. His preaching at times was 
with overwhelming effect. The Rev. Mr. Longacre gives an 
account of the popular influence of a sermon preached about 
this time at Penn's Grove camp-meeting in New Jersey : 

" I recall a sermon he preached at a camp-meeting in New Jersey, on the 
text 4 Thy will be done.' The collection preceded the sermon, and it left 
the congregation a good deal unsettled. But at the first sound of his voice 
all was hushed into attention. As he preached and passed on into the ap- 
peal of his discourse, the whole vast throng was bowed in tears. People 
wept aloud, the preachers crowding the stand, and the passers-by on the 
edge of the circle. Near me was seated a traveling preacher of the Hicksite 
Friends. He had been restless at first, but gradually seemed subdued by 
the power of the preacher, until at the conclusion he stood up and cried 
with a loud voice, as if yielding to the constraining influence of the Spirit, 
' We have heard the Gospel preached in the demonstration of the Spirit and 
with power.' We went to the tables right after the service, but for many 
minutes those at our table could not eat. We sat looking at each other, 
and weeping tears that could not be controlled." 

During the autumn of 1859, Mr. Cookman was invited to 
Baltimore to preach at Monument Street Church. This was 
one of the churches comprised in the Baltimore City Station 
when his father was one of the pastors. His coming was a 
signal for an outpouring of his devoted friends and the public 
generally. He wrote to his wife : 

"I seize a moment to drop you a line. These Baltimore friends are so 
incessant in their attentions and so abundant in their kindness that I have 
scarce opportunity to think of any thing but what is passing around me. 

"Yesterday I preached to overflowing congregations. Although the 
North Baltimore friends had concluded not to advertise the service, fearing 



VISIT TO BALTIMORE. 



215 



an unmanageable crowd, yet both morning and evening hundreds went away 
who could not be accommodated with standing-room. 

" I preached 1 Power ' in the morning, and the 1 New Birth ' at night ; in 
the afternoon made three addresses ; spent a sleepless night. To-day am 
hardly able to stagger about. This morning at ten we had a most precious 
meeting for an hour and a half. My soul is kept in perfect peace. Oh, the 
strong consolation there is in Christ. How delightful to labor when we re- 
alize the presence of the Master. 

" Invitations for dinner and tea are more numerous than I can possibly 
accept. The friends vie with each other in their kind attentions. Look out 
for me on Wednesday. Love to all friends. Many kisses for the children. 
Tell them to be very good." 

To his wife, Mrs. Annie E. Cookman : 

" I am sure you will not object to receiving a few lines from a lonely hus- 
band. An exceedingly pleasant ride on the cars brought us to Philadelphia 
about five P.M. On my way to the parsonage I, of course, dropped in at 
the Race Street homestead. Mother and Mary were making their arrange- 
ments to sup with Mrs. W.W. Cookman. All were very well, and full of 
inquiries respecting yourself and the children. 

"Arriving at the ' Fifth Street house,' I was welcomed by Lizzie P , 

who had every thing very clean and comfortable. Taking up my letters 
and papers, I felt such a sense of loneliness as can not be described. I re- 
membered this would not do, and as I bowed my knee in prayer sweetly re- 
alized that I was in the best of company. My compassionate Saviour came 
quickly to my relief, and the room was transformed into the audience-cham- 
ber of Deity. Oh, how unutterably sweet — how indescribably valuable is the 
religion of the Lord Jesus. My appreciation and enjoyment of its sacred 
influences are increasing day by day. 

" My letters were from Rev. H. Slicer, inclosing an invitation and a free 
pass to the Shrewsbury camp-meeting; and another from the Rev.Mr.Thom- 
as, urging me to serve him on the occasion of a church dedication. The 
former I will avail myself of; the latter I must decline." 

The Shrewsbury camp-meeting was a favorite resort of Mr. 
Cookman. He loved to meet the Baltimore Methodists when- 
ever he could, and nowhere were his labors more acceptable 
and useful than among them at their camp meetings. He will 
be heard of again at Shrewsbury. 



2l6 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN". 



To his wife, Mrs. Annie E. Cookman : 

"Philadelphia, Saturday morning. 

" Home again ! In view of my general class, and for the sake of a good 
night's rest, I left the camp-ground* yesterday afternoon. It has been a 
memorable week. The recollection just now fills my soul with gratitude 

and joy. Our company was select and entirely congenial. Brother Y 

was sweeter than ever. It seems to me that, as he approaches his rest, he 
is becoming increasingly heavenly. 

" Mother and Mary were with me in our little tent, which was arranged 
tastefully. No pains were spared in contributing to our comfort. The 
preaching was capital ; the success unusual. I occupied the stand yester- 
day morning, and held forth the Word of life before an immense multitude. 
The meetings held at the Union tent were powerful and precious beyond all 
description. On Thursday morning we had a season which some of us will 
think and talk about when we stand on Canaan's happy shore. Oh, how 
often and how much I longed for my darling wife. The fullness for which 
you pant would, I think, have been realized amid those scenes. However, 
Christ is an omnipresent Saviour, and just as gracious at Columbia as at 
Penn's Grove. More particulars respecting the meeting I will furnish when 
we meet. 

" I will try to be with you next week. My Sabbath work will oblige me, 
I fear, to return the latter part of the week, as I have arranged to exchange 
with N. Heston on the fourth Sabbath of August, and to be out of my pul- 
pit two Sabbaths successively would hardly do. If, however, I return to the 
city, it will be to leave for Columbia the following Monday again, en route 
for Shrewsbury. I am very well soul and body. My heart is full of love, 
and my future full of light. God is with me, and proves himself a sufficient 
portion. I have three services to-morrow." 

Mr. Cookman's pastoral term at Union, happy as it was in 
most of its aspects, was not wholly without trials. It covered 
a period which was one of great anxiety and perplexity both in 
the State and the Church. The "irrepressible conflict" between 
slavery and freedom was fast approaching a crisis. The ele- 
ments of dissatisfaction and discord, which had been rising 
and gathering, had assumed such intensity as to forebode the 
most violent and destructive storm. The whole nation trem- 



* Penn's Grove, New Jersey. 



THE ANTI-SLAVERY AGITATION. 



217 



bled with uncontrollable agitation ; every ecclesiastical organi- 
zation, and more especially the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
was shaking to its centre with a controversy, the sharpness of 
which had precipitated the most equable men into bitter hos- 
tility. Hatred was fast taking the place of love; distrust of 
confidence; lifetime friends were becoming alienated; section 
was arraying itself against section; Northern opinion was di- 
vided; men stood side by side on 'Change, or sat side by side 
in the pew, or ate together, members of the same family, who 
differed almost wholly in their judgment of the causes and the 
cure of national and ecclesiastical troubles. 

It was one of those times of decision in which Almighty God 
brings nations and individuals to the bar of judgment, and to 
which destiny holds them with an inexorable grasp. The wisest 
men stood bewildered in counsel; Conservatives were wringing 
their hands in despair or clinching their fists in fury; and even 
Radicals, while not doubting the correctness of their principles, 
were alarmed at the consequences which their success threat- 
ened to entail. " Conscience," exclaimed Mr. Hunter, of Vir- 
ginia, in the United States Senate, "has done this. Sir, there 
is no hope of reconciliation or of the Union ; the conscience of the 
North is against us." It was so ; the enlightened conscience 
of the free states had reached a point when it could no longer 
tolerate the extension of slavery. 

This conscience, however, was not yet prepared to demand 
its abolition in the slave states. Very few of the most pro- 
nounced anti-slavery men felt themselves to be a party to the 
wrong where it was protected by municipal law, and was be- 
yond any possible constitutional process except by the concur- 
rence of those who framed these municipal laws. Yet there 
were men in the Church whose conscience compelled them to 
exert themselves to abate slavery in the Church by requiring 
all slaveholding members to emancipate their slaves. They 
wished thus to leaven the State through the Church ; to assist. 




K 



2l8 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



in creating, by a clear testimony and by such ecclesiastic press- 
ure as they could command, a public sentiment in favor of 
" abolition." There were differences of opinion as to the power 
of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
to expel members for slaveholding, and also as to the expedi- 
ency of exercising this power if it existed. The differences of 
opinion were not confined to any locality of the Church, though 
those who held an opinion adverse to such a power were massed 
mos'tly along the " Border Conferences," embracing the Balti- 
more, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Missouri 
Conferences, with contiguous Conferences lying north. 

The whole question has since been consigned by the " logic 
of events " to a dead past, and is of interest chiefly as one of 
the teachings of history. No issues which have since trans- 
pired can throw the shadow of a suspicion on the honesty of 
the men who, in so great a debate, stood and acted apart. 
Time has healed — no, victory, in the happiest fruits of right- 
eousness and peace, has healed the breaches of the angry strife. 
But it was an ordeal for many souls which can not soon be for- 
gotten — a fiery trial — and though it only consumed the straw, 
that the gold might shine with the richer splendor, it was not 
the less painful in its endurance. 

Mr. Cookman was among those who believed that a law 
should be enacted excluding slaveholders from the Church. 
When measures were introduced to effect this change, through 
what was deemed the proper constitutional process, he gave 
them his prompt and uniform support by voting for them. He 
stood almost alone in his Conference. There was a small knot 
of six or seven men out of about three hundred, and these were 
most of them men of advanced years. He was young, bright, 
popular, the idol of his brethren and of the people ; his early 
education had been in the South ; his principal friends were 
either slaveholders or their sympathizers ; his opinions seemed 
to impugn the piety of people who nourished him in infancy and 



A COURAGEOUS VOTE. 



219 



youth ; his vote seemed to fasten sin on those who were re- 
garded as above reproach ; the measure he supported must 
exclude many from the Church whom he hoped to meet in 
heaven, and even apparently blot with a stain the memory of 
many who had died in the faith. But Alfred Cookman felt that 
he must do his duty. He would not follow his principles to all 
their logical results ; he could only see principles, and to them 
he must stand. 

He did not question the piety and virtue of thousands hith- 
erto and then involved in slaveholding ; but of two evils he must 
accept the least. The opportunity had come for him to act, 
and it was for him to say whether he should spare the feelings 
of friends, or do what he could to liberate five millions of slaves ; 
whether he should pander to a spirit of oppression, even though 
softened by religion, or strike a blow for universal freedom. 
He rose to the crisis of the hour. Cutting away from all social 
and personal entanglements, the man stood forth in an act of 
moral heroism seldom surpassed in the history of Methodism. 
When the resolutions initiating the change were pending before 
his Conference, he got down on his knees in the pew, and, 
bathed in tears, poured out his soul to God for light and strength, 
and arose and voted "Aye/" Here was the iron in his nature. 

Let those who think Alfred Cookman was not a man of the 
truest and highest courage mark this. His forbearance for the 
weaknesses of men, his indisposition to insist upon points in 
which men differed with him, his great charity, which folded in 
its arms earnest souls and dropped out of sight their accidental 
disagreements, has been construed into a want of courage. 
Mr. Cookman never wasted his force on men of straw, but when 
real giants were to be crushed, he had the power to do it. 

In keeping with the vote thus given was the sermon he 
preached in his own church about the same period, called by 
one his " gfand, grand anti-slavery sermon,'' from Isaiah viii., 
12, 13. As might be expected, some of his nearest friends and 



220 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



principal supporters were wounded, and did not hesitate to ex- 
press their displeasure. His only answer to all such was, "I 
can afford to forgive them." Under an oppressive sense of the 
responsibility which a declaration of his views would involve, he 
had made the sermon on his knees. He delivered it with the 
greatest fearlessness, and at the same time with an evident sin- 
cerity and tenderness, which convinced all who heard him that 
nothing short of the most thorough loyalty to the great Master 
animated his soul. At the close of the service his face shone 
with a spiritual light that showed how closely he had communed 
with the Holy Spirit, and how triumphantly the Spirit had vin- 
dicated him in the discharge of a most painful duty. 

The session of the General Conference at Buffalo, New York, 
in May, i860, was looked forward to with great anxiety by all 
the friends of the Church. It proved the most perilous since 
that of 1844. Mr. Cookman, in common with hundreds of min- 
isters and laymen, felt he must see the body and witness its 
proceedings. Two letters afford a glimpse into his feelings. 

To his wife : 

" Buffalo, Thursday evening. 

"A long, long ride brought us to this western city about noon to-day. 
Although tedious and tiresome, still I greatly enjoyed it. Wonderful nat- 
ural scenery, congenial company, with an unusual degree of divine com- 
munion, made it one of the most delightful journeys of my life. The details 
I must reserve until my return home. We are quartered at the Western 
Hotel, a neat, quiet, and comfortable house. 

" After dinner and making our toilet, we concluded to take the half-past 
two o'clock train for Niagara Falls. Thither we proceeded, to find the dig- 
nitaries of the Church reveling amid those world-renowned scenes. I met 
with hosts of friends from the North and South, and East and West, who 
were really lavish in their expressions of pleasure at meeting me. Our 
company were perfectly charmed. My only regret — and sincerely it marred 
my happiness — was that my precious Annie could not unite in this extraor- 
dinary treat. My soul ought to have been filled with Niagara, but your 
absence would not permit this. At seven o'clock we returned to Buffalo. 

" Great excitement obtains among all concerned in General Conference 
proceedings. To-morrow it is expected the great battle will commence. 



CONFLICT OF FEELING. — BROTHERLY SYMPATHY. 221 



The anti-slavery column stands strong and united. May God rule and over- 
rule !" 

To his wife : 

"Buffalo, May 23, i860. 
* * * " Sabbath was a glorious day. Bishop Ames in the morning, Bishop 
Simpson in the afternoon, and Dr. Porter at night ; altogether a day of days. 
Monday it was gloomy and rainy. Yesterday we spent at Niagara. Oh, 
what a glorious visit it was ! Part of the time I was with Mr. Guinness, which 
contributed not a little to the enjoyment of the day. Particulars must be 
reserved until we meet. To-day the slavery battle began. The excitement 
is intense. Coombe led off, followed by Moody and Norval Wilson. The 
Baltimoreans were here in large numbers. They are intensely excited. 
The general rule will not be changed, but there will be a secession on the 
border. I judge we are on perilous times, but the Lord reigneth. If I 
were not conscientious before God, the pressure of friends might move me 
from my position, but, while I would not grieve them, I must and will cling 
to truth and right. My spiritual enjoyment in Buffalo has been unusual. 
Love fills my heart ; love for God and for all around. Oh, I feel during 
every succeeding hour that I am at peace with Heaven, and prepared, if it 
should be the Master's will, to quit these stormy scenes and rest with angels 
and the glorified." 

We have before seen the fatherly interest Mr. Cookman man- 
ifested when his youngest brother was first meditating the min- 
istry, now that this brother was fairly engaged in the direct and 
indirect duties which it brought, he could not do otherwise than 
afford him all possible counsel and sympathy. His brother 
John had only recently become a pastor at New Brunswick, 
New Jersey, and was to visit Philadelphia, to address the Young 
Men's Christian Association. 

To the Rev. John E. Cookman : 

"Philadelphia, November 16, i860. 
" Perhaps you are ready to chide my delay in replying to your letter. 
The reason of my procrastination was that the information you desired had 
to be sought, and could not be had until after a meeting of the managers of 
the Young Men's Christian Association. That meeting was held on 
Wednesday evening, when it was resolved to postpone the anniversary until 
the evening of the 3d of December, when it will come off at Concert Hall. 



222 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Had it been held before, some one of the churches must have been the 
place selected. A very general and earnest wish was expressed that you 
might be one of the speakers. Dr. Tyng has declined. Mr. Crowell and 
Dr. Newton are spoken of as your colleagues. Respecting a theme, I 
scarcely know what to say. The relation of Christian young men to the 
times, or the responsibility and duties in the present crisis of our national 
and world's history, would, I think, be suitable. 

"The value of a powerful illustration can scarcely be estimated. I say 
this as an offset to the claim you set up, 1 Pay what thou owest? I could do 
this in a fortnight of sermons, and, retaining ' the figure? be decidedly the 
gainer. You know, however, that I love to act generously. No one is 
more interested for your success than myself. It is my triumph to see you 
triumph. 'Cookman ' is the name which, with the blessing of God, I desire 
to float aloft, commanding the respect, confidence, and affection of the world. 
Family pride (I trust it is sanctified) has a wonderful development in my 
experience. My beloved brother", never do any thing or say any thing that 
would lower that name one iota in public estimation. If we desire our name 
to remain unimpeached and be increasingly honored, then, struggling up 
above the infected atmosphere of this lower world, let us stand in the clear, 
broad, beautiful sunlight of God's immediate presence. Men will recognize 
us as Christ's ; honor our principles ; respect our character, and yield to 
our influence. John, take my advice, and be satisfied with nothing less than 
a heart constantly filled with God. It is a grand idea and a grander expe- 
rience to be co-workers with God ; infinite wisdom and illimitable power 
enlisted in our behalf. It helps us to think, to study, to pray, to preach, 
and to labor ; it becomes the guarantee of inevitable and glorious success. 
I mean all I write, and hope that you will immediately put this matter to 
an experimental test. 

" But to the illustration. I have been turning it over in my thoughts, and 
can not call up any thing that I think could be rendered more effective 
than Tennyson's 'Charge of the Light Brigade' at Balaklava. I inclose a 
copy, which you will please preserve, and return when you have done with it. 
Its application to this light brigade of young soldiers for Jesus, charging 
upon the flanked batteries of hell, would, I think, be very thrilling. Forward 
the light brigade ; ring the changes just here. 

" How are dear mother and Mary ? We have many inquiries respecting 
their welfare. Will you not all come to spend the Christmas holidays in 
Philadelphia ? I think you might excuse Mary at once, and allow her Phila- 
delphia friends a chance. The festival at Sansom Street Hall passed off 
splendidly. Among the rest, Mr. Reese Alsop was present. He scanned 



SPEECHES IN NEW YORK. 



223 



■our crowd as if he would find a cherished one. Dr. Kennaday is preaching 
this week at Trinity. No special interest is reported. The services are 
held in the lecture-room. The Tuesday-afternoon meeting is largely at- 
tended, and I think increasingly interesting. The children's class is getting 
on nicely under the auspices of M W . She is vindicating the wis- 
dom of our selection. Take good care of yourself, or rather commit your- 
self, body, soul, and all, to Christ, and let Him take care of you." 

It could hardly be otherwise than that Mr. Cookman's repu- 
tation should attract attention in New York City. We accord- 
ingly find him invited thither on different occasions to speak 
at public meetings, and to represent the Philadelphia churches. 
In the autumn of i860 he spoke at the anniversary of "Five 
Points' Mission," under the care of the ladies of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. The anniversary was held at the Academy 
of Music. The audience was very large and enthusiastic. "His 
address," said a gentleman recently, "I can never forget. The 
three principal figures — the child and the Bible, the woman 
and her diamond ring, the sinking ship — are as vivid as if I had 
heard them only yesterday." A visit to New York, in company 
with Mr. George H. Stuart and other prominent Philadelphia 
gentlemen, to wait on a delegation of Irish Christians, was no- 
ticed by him in the following pleasant way to his wife : 

"Metropolitan Hotel, New York, Friday morning. 
" How very gladly do I seize a moment this morning to add to your pleas- 
ure, for I am sure you will be delighted to hear from your itinerant hus- 
band. In company with Revs. Westbrook, Taylor, Wylie, and other gentle- 
men, I enjoyed exceedingly the journey from Philadelphia to New York. 
Mr. Taylor and I, seated side by side, engaged in a decidedly religious con- 
versation which proved a very feast to my soul. Indeed, ever since my de- 
parture, my blessed Father has kept my mind in perfect peace. I very 
sweetly realize that He is around and within and all about me. Oh, the 
unutterable joy of uninterrupted communion with God ! Mr. Stuart was at 
the hotel to give us one of his warm-hearted welcomes. After some' ablu- 
tions, etc., we proceeded to the Cooper Institute. Owing to the storm, there 
was no crowd, but a very respectable attendance — certainly one thousand 
people. The exercises throughout were unusually spirited and interesting. 



224 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



" The honored representatives of Ireland acquitted themselves very cred- 
itably. Your unworthy husband was called out. I said what was in my 
heart at the moment, and was kindly received. I feel it such a privilege to 
plead, under such circumstances, the promise, 1 Lo, I am with you ediaay? 
and find the presence of my Master on the platform as in the pulpit. About 
midnight we went to Mr. Stuart's room, and enjoyed together a season of 
prayer ; after which, at peace with God and men, I placed my head on the 
pillow, and was soon lost in the oblivion of sweet sleep. This morning I 
am very well, and feel my heart overflowing with love to God. At noon I 
must be present in the Fulton Street prayer-meeting. My friends around 
are very polite and affectionate. How much I love, and how grateful I feel 
for Christian companions. How are my darling wife and precious children 
this morning ? I need not tell you how dear you all are to me. Many kisses 
for the boys and little sister. Tell them that pa hopes they will be very 
obedient to ma, and very kind to each other." 

This letter suggests a marked feature in the character and 
ministry of Mr. Cookman during these four years, which has 
not yet been as distinctly noticed as its importance and the full 
representation of his career require. I refer to his position as 
a representative man before the evangelical churches of Phila- 
delphia. While there never was a more pronounced Methodist 
than he, I doubt if there ever was one freer from bigotry. He 
dwelt in a high serene atmosphere of love, whence he could 
look down and see all the bounds and fences of sectarianism dis- 
solve in the unbroken sweep of Christian unity. He loved all 
Christ's followers, and was ready at all times to act with them 
in those undenominational movements which contemplate the 
glory of His kingdom in the salvation of men. The churches 
were not slow to perceive his mind and to feel the kindle of his 
spirit ; and hence both for his piety and his talents he became 
by common consent the leading man of his Methodist brethren 
as a mover in those stirring days of revival to which allusion 
has already been made. He was closely identified with such 
men as the Rev. Messrs. Newton, Brainard, Taylor, Dudley 
Tyng, Reuben Jeffrey, and Mr. George H. Stuart, in promoting 
the general work of religion. A young man, he was in full 



MR. GEORGE H. STUART OF PHILADELPHIA. 225 

sympathy with the Young Men's Christian Association, as an in- 
stitution providentially raised up to afford not only a beautiful 
expression of Christian union, but also a common ground for the 
most effective labors of all believers for the temporal and spir- 
itual welfare of young men. He and other pastors were glad 
to labor under the leadership of the layman whose name is a 
synonym for pure philanthropy throughout our country. The 
work accomplished in those early days of the Association of 
Philadelphia can hardly be too highly estimated, and has only 
been paralleled by that of the Christian Commission during 
the late civil war. 

Mr. Stuart has not ceased to value the services and to cherish 
the memory of his friend Mr. Cookman. He has kindly fur- 
nished to the Rev. John E. Cookman a brief estimate of his 
character and work as they impressed him at this time : 

" I have been privileged to know many faithful and gifted servants of 
Christ, and to know them a second time in the perusal of their biographies 
— Dr. Murray, of Elizabeth ; Drs. Edgar and Cooke, of Ireland ; and Dr. 
Hamilton, of London, among them — but I can say that a more fervent and 
devoted minister of the Cross than Alfred Cookman I never knew. In him 
the old fire that burned in the hearts of Whitefield and Summerfield glowed 
with all the fervor of the first and Pentecostal days of Methodism ; and no 
one could come within the sphere of his influence without feeling that he 
was one for whom to live was Christ, and to die was gain. 

" Mr. Cookman's coming to this city was not long previous to the begin- 
ning of the great revival of 1857 and 1858, Through its precious scenes of 
awakening, of conversion, he labored with all the fervor of his nature and 
of grace. When I recall him in connection with that time of revival, his 
name seems voluntarily to associate itself with that of the eloquent and 
devoted young servant of Christ, the sorely lamented Dudley Tyng. Mr. 
Cookman preached several times with great unction and power in the Union 
Tabernacle, which was moved about the city during that time. A single 
sermon of his on the prophet's vision of the valley of dry bones was blessed 
to the conversion of several persons, one of whom heard him as she stood 
without the tent. 

" Never shall I forget a ' noonday prayer-meeting ' held during the revival, 
at which your brother presided. With deep feeling he asked for special 

K 2 



226 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



prayer for the only son of his father who remained still without an interest 
in the great salvation. You may judge with what fervor that request was 
responded to. A few days later word came that the prayer had been heard 
and answered, and that George Cookman was rejoicing in the hope of the 
glory of God. He too has gone to the upper sanctuary ; but permit me to 
recall the fact that when, by age, I was called to lay down the office of Pres- 
ident of our Young Men's Christian Association, its duties devolved upon 
this beloved brother, who was chosen as my successor. Very precious still 
to me is the memory of George Cookman, the second President of the 
Young Men's Christian Association. 

"Alfred Cookman was one of those who represented to the mind of the 
Christian public the brotherly tinity of the whole Church of Christ. His 
large-hearted catholicity, and his unqualified love for all who held by the 
Head, were what gave him his place among us. On any public occasion 
when the churches of Christ were called on to unite in utterance or in action, 
he was always expected, and never in vain. 

" How faithful he was to all the interests committed to him inside his own 
denomination, you can testify of. I can say that he was one of those who 
made us feel that all these divisions were but regiments and brigades of the 
one great ar??iy, the hosts of the living God. 

"My own personal relation to him was one of pleasure and of profit al- 
ways. He was a brother in sympathy, a friend in help. 

" When a sentence,* at which our Christian world has not ceased to won- 
der, cut me off from my place in the Reformed Presbyterian General Synod, 
he was among the first to give utterance to his Christian confidence and 
sympathy, in a letter which I highly prize as a memento of our Christian 
friendship." 

Here also are words of the same import to Mr. John E. 
Cookman, from the distinguished and venerated Rev. Richard 
Newton, D.D., rector of the Church of the Epiphany, Philadel- 
phia : 

" No argument in support of the reality and truth of the religion of the 
Gospel is worth half so much as that which is furnished by the example of 
one so blameless, so consistent, so holy as was your loved and lamented 
brother. 

* Mr. Stuart was suspended by the General Synod of the Reformed Pres- 
byterian Church for singing such hymns as " Rock of Ages," and communing 
with Christians like Alfred Cookman. 



TESTIMONY OF REV. DR. RICHARD NEWTON. 



227 



" I had not the pleasure of an intimate personal acquaintance with him. But 
during the years of his ministry in Philadelphia we often met together in va- 
rious union services. On different platforms, where those who love the cause 
cf Jesus take sweet fellowship together, we often stood side by side in striv- 
ing to promote the honor of our Master's name and the welfare of His blood- 
bought Church. And now that he is gone, the recollection of those seasons 
is very dear and precious to me. His large-hearted love for the friends of 
Jesus ; the singleness of his aims ; the earnestness of his zeal; the fervency 
of his spirit ; the untiring devotion, the unction and power that appeared in 
all he did and said, were the points about him that always most strikingly 
impressed those who came in contact with him. These were the broad seals 
upon his character that stamped him as one of God's own anointed minis- 
ters, and won for him a warm place in the hearts of all to whom the living 
image of Jesus is dearer than every thing else. I feel that it was a privilege 
to have known him here on earth, and I look forward with kindling hope to 
the higher privilege of meeting him in that bright world to which he has 
gone, and where the union of Christ's people, whom he so loved to cultivate 
here, will be perfected forever. 

"May God graciously send down on all the ministers of Jesus still on 
earth a double portion of that sweet spirit of purity, humility, zeal, and char- 
in-, which shone so brightly and so beautifully in all the life and character 
of your lamented brother." 

Air. Cookman completed his term at Union Church in the 
spring of 1S61. His pastorate here, though not marked by a 
general and continuous revival, was nevertheless eminently 
useful. Air. Mason, before quoted from, says : 

" His Saturday-afternoon meetings were a grand success. All the Sun- 
day-school children loved him very much. We had constant accessions to 
the Church in small numbers. We held two protracted meetings in the 
body of the church. There was no great excitement, but many were con- 
verted and added to the Church, and some remain to this day. During one 
of these meetings a lady boarding at the Union Hotel said to some friends, 
' Let's go over to the Methodist meeting and have some fun.' They occu- 
pied the fourth pew on the south middle aisle. Befo-re the fun commenced, 
Alfred asked all that felt they were sinners to stand up, and, to the great 
amazement of her friends, Mrs. C. stood up. She was converted, was a 
useful member of Union Church many years, and removing to Camden, New 
Jersey, took a card and joined the Church there, where she lets her light 
shine still. 



228 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



"Alfred's life, his character, and influence in the city was all for good. 
He was one of the purest ministers we ever had — the true minister in the 
market, the home, and in the house of God. One of his most effective ser- 
mons was preached on the steps of my house — to my son, Thomas T. Ma- 
son, Jr., who was just leaving for the army of the Cumberland. Taking him 
by the hand, he said, ' Tom, take God with you, and all will be well.' After 
the terrible battle of Stone River, in Tennessee, my son was taken down with 
typhoid fever, and just before he died he turned to his comrade, Thomas C. 
Moore, and said, ' Tom, I am taking God with me.' " 



CHAPTER XIV. 



REMOVAL TO NEW YORK. MINISTRY AT THE CENTRAL CHURCH. 

PATRIOTISM AND THE CIVIL WAR. 

Such was the influence which Mr, Cookman had gained at 
Philadelphia, both in and out of the Methodist Church, that it 
would have seemed wise to retain him in that city. There came 
now a demand for his removal to New York. His fame as a 
preacher had become so wide-spread as to cause his services to 
be in request in many places, both for special occasions and 
for the pastorate. There is an ever-working law by which the 
grand centre of finance, trade, population, lays its claims to the 
intellectual and religious power of the whole country, and makes 
it tributary to its importance. The Methodist Church is no ex- 
ception to the rule ; and it could not be expected that Mr. 
Cookman would be an exception among ministers. The fre- 
quent changes of the itinerant system offer facilities of transfer 
from one city to another such as no other Church possesses. 
He had been four years in Philadelphia, and he must make a 
change — " Why not go to New York ?" The application of the 
Central Church in New York was successful, and Mr. Cookman 
was accordingly transferred to the New York Conference in 
May, 1 86 1, and stationed at that Church. The same society, 
which had originally worshiped on Vestry Street, had secured 
the services of the father, and he was to have entered upon his 
duties with them immediately upon his return from Europe ; 
they were now equally fortunate to be able to command the 
son in their new and more commanding position on Seventh 
Avenue. 

Some letters, written while he was in process of transfer and 



23° 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



settlement, are indicative of the mingled sense of responsibility 
and pleasure with which he contemplated the change. 
To his wife : 

"New York, Wednesday morning, May 8, 1861. 

" I am just now in receipt of your affectionate and truly welcome letter. 
Your allusions to the precious children occasioned a feeling of homesickness. 
If I had only the 1 wishing-cap,' oh, how soon I would sit down in the midst 
of my little family group ! I trust, however, that I am in a providential 
path, for I try in all my ways to acknowledge God, and I think He is di- 
recting my steps. You ask how I like New York. My answer is — ' Very 
much. Every thing here is alive and in motion.' The people are much 
more demonstrative than they are in Philadelphia. They feel, and do not 
hesitate to express or manifest their emotion. Yesterday afternoon John 

and I enjoyed a most charming ride in a carriage belonging to Brother S . 

He kindly proffered it, and we drove about for two or three hours. It af- 
forded us the opportunity of visiting a number of localities we have been 
anxious to see. I spent part of yesterday in the celebrated Dusseldorf gal- 
lery of paintings. I have never seen any that would compare with these. 

" Last evening the stewards of Central called at Brother S.'s. They were 
very affectionate, expressed great pleasure in the prospect of my appoint- 
ment, and an anxiety to have me settled at the earliest moment. They rep- 
resent their parsonage as in very fine order, still they want to make some 
improvements. I will fill my pulpit (May 19th) Sabbath week, and after 
that turn my face toward Lancaster County, so that we may get here, say 
Friday of that week. I do not know how I can endure absence from my 
loved ones so long, but I live a day at a time, and try to keep the future out 
of my thoughts. This afternoon I proceed to Poughkeepsie, will remain 
there until Saturday, then return to New York, and, Providence permitting, 
preach to the soldiers in Union Square Sabbath afternoon at three o'clock. 
This is a very honorable and important appointment. You must not fail to 
pray for me. I had hoped to enjoy the meeting at Sister Lankford's yester- 
day, but was prevented from getting there." 

To his wife : 

" New York, Thursday, May, 1861. 
" In view of some interesting anniversaries, I did not proceed to Pough- 
keepsie yesterday, as I originally proposed. This afternoon, however, the 
Lord willing, I shall turn my face toward the seat of the Conference. Noth- 
ing new has transpired in connection with my appointment. Yesterday I 
spent a half hour in the church itself. I was all alone — no, not alone, for 



THE NEW YORK CONFERENCE. 



2 3 I 



God was with me. Kneeling down, I asked my kind Heavenly Father to 
come with me to my new field of labor, and make the ensuing two years the 
best years of my life. The property is very tasteful and comfortable in all 
its arrangements and appliances. Last night I walked the streets of New 
York in company with Jesus. Do not be surprised. This was a precious 
realization, and my heart burned within me as I communed with my kind 
and sympathizing Redeemer. It was one of the evenings of my life. This 
morning I attend the anniversary of the American Bible Society. H. B. 
Ridgaway is one of the speakers. * * * How are you all this bright May 
morning ? Oh, that I could look in upon your sweet familiar faces." 

To his wife : 

"Newark, N. J., May 14, 1861. 
" You must not think for a moment that you are forgotten. Never were 
you dearer to my heart than now ; indeed, I am sick to see my wife and 
children. The days drag their weary length along until I sit down in my 
domestic circle again. Last Thursday afternoon, in company with my friend 
Ridgaway, I started for Poughkeepsie, the seat of the New York Conference. 
The sail up the Hudson (seventy-five miles) was magnificent. The half had 
not been told me. It must be seen and enjoyed to be understood. Oh, 
how much I longed for your presence to make my joy complete ! It will be 
a delightful trip for us some day during the approaching summer. Pough- 
keepsie is a beautiful city. My home was with a family by the name of Van 

K , members of the Dutch Reformed Church. They live in elegant style, 

and did every thing possible to promote our comfort. On Friday morning I 
was introduced to the New York Conference, a body of nearly three hundred 
members, fine-looking and intelligent. They were very cordial — came for- 
ward and assured me of a most hearty welcome. John is on the spot, solicit- 
ous respecting his reception into the Conference, of which there is some little 
doubt. The doubt grows out of the fact that the Conference is already 
crowded with men, and, as at Philadelphia, they talk of postponing the re- 
ception of young men until next spring. Ridgaway preached on Friday 
night. * * * 

" Saturday afternoon I returned to New York ; preached at Eighteenth 
Street on Sabbath morning, and in Union Square at three o'clock P. M. 
Had large audiences and great freedom. In the evening I crossed the East 
River and worshiped in Henry Ward Beecher's Church. It was a great 
treat ; a wonderful congregation; splendid singing, superior prayers, and a 
timely, pointed, practical, and popular sermon on camp-life. There is but 
one such man in this world. Instead of returning to Poughkeepsie yester- 
day I rambled about with Ridgaway, visiting the Book-room and office of 



232 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



The Methodist, and gazing at the Great Eastern, which arrived on Satur- 
day last. In the afternoon I accompanied him to Newark, and am spend- 
ing a few hours at the palatial residence of my friend W ■• It is only a 

stern sense of duty which detains me in this region, for, as I intimated before, 
I am restless to see my dearly beloved family. To-day I will write to James 

W to ship my goods. Probably they will reach New York by Saturday. 

I will have them stored at the parsonage ; will preach on Sabbath, and, if at 
all possible, start for Columbia either Monday or Tuesday. I have met 
quite a number of the Seventh Avenue friends. They are extremely cordial, 
expressing the greatest pleasure in the prospect of my appointment. They 
strike me as a sincere, warm-hearted congregation, with whom I can labor 
pleasantly and profitably. The S.'s are very kind." 

These letters recall very vividly to my mind the interview to 
which Mr. Cookman refers. I had been invited to make one 
of the addresses at the anniversary of the American Bible So- 
ciety, and I remember that no one greeted me more cordially at 
the close of the exercises than our friend. We planned — as I 
wished to visit the New York Conference then in session at 
Poughkeepsie — to go up the Hudson by steam-boat the same 
afternoon. Neither of us had seen the famous river, and so we 
anticipated much. It was our good luck to have a charming 
afternoon, and also to meet on board the Rev. A. K. Sanford, a 
member of the Conference, whose familiarity with the route 
greatly heightened our pleasure. It was one of those delightful 
occasions when all the senses were open. The first buds of 
green were tinting the landscape, lending great freshness to 
scenes which otherwise would have been remarkable only for 
fidelity and boldness of outline. Mr. Cookman, with that keen 
perception of the beautiful for which he was so remarkable, 
seemed quite ravished with the ever-shifting views, which in 
their rapid succession kept alive a perpetual feeling of surprise 
and admiration. At the Conference he was, as a transferred 
man, the object of interest, and a desire was generally expressed 
to hear him preach • but, with instinctive modesty, he waived the 
request, and sent the committee for his unsuspecting companion. 



CHARACTER OF THE CENTRAL CHURCH, NEW YORK. 233 

Just so soon as Mr. Cookman got settled in his new home, 
which had been put in order for his family, he began to unfold 
those methods of usefulness in the observance of which he had 
been every where successful. He now found himself placed in 
a comparatively untried field. He was but one of hundreds 
of pastors of first-rate ability brought to the great centre from 
all parts of the country. The congregations of the Central 
Church were devout, refined, and intelligent, but not large and 
overflowing, such as he had been accustomed to. They thus 
lacked an important element of effective oratory in a popular 
preacher, and also the conditions so necessary to the extensive 
revivals which had so often attended his ministrations. 

Mr. Cookman speedily adapted himself to the altered circum- 
stances, went quietly to work, and, in the absence of all parade, 
addressed himself to the proper vocation of a faithful pastor. 
His diligence, zest, and wisdom soon began to be manifest in 
the growth of the congregation, in the deepening piety of the 
members, and in the general and harmonious advancement of 
all the institutions of the charge. The Sunday-school instantly 
felt his magical touch, and the young men came around him as 
if drawn by an irresistible spell ; the whole people were warm- 
ed into an intenser glow by his benignant spirit. 

The following letter to his wife, touching the prospective re- 
moval into the new home, will be appreciated by all Methodist 
ministers and their families. One must go and another come • 
the parsonage must be refitted for the incoming family. It is 
a hard time for sick children and invalid wives ; but the wheels 
roll on, and around must go wives and children with the wheels. 
The Methodist Church is a militant Church, and not only the 
ministers, but their families, must be regarded as part of the 
army, and must feel it no hardship to be always ready at the 
appointed signal to break camp and march. The reference in 
this letter to the preacher's class suggests one of Mr. Cook- 
man's strongest points. No man ever possessed greater facility 



234 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



in the difficult and useful exercise of class-leading. The class 
of six soon grew to be a room full, and became a rallying 
ground in the work of the station. 
To his wife : 

"New York, Friday morning, May, 1861. 

" I am in the midst of a vast population, and surrounded by many kind 
friends ; nevertheless, I suffer a sense of isolation. My precious family are 
absent, and none can serve as their substitutes. Were it not for the pres- 
ence of my blessed Saviour, which has been a delightful and continued real- 
ization, I could scarcely have borne the deprivation I have been suffering. 
My Heavenly Father has been specially gracious to me within the last week 
or two ; accompanying me in my walks, visiting me in my night seasons, 
strengthening and blessing me in the society of friends, keeping my mind in 
perfect peace. Yesterday afternoon I entered on the duties of my pastorate 
by leading the preacher's class. It was very small, only six being present ; 
among the rest my hostess, Mrs. Skidmore. I cast myself on Christ, and 
enjoyed the service very much. After the class, I visited in company with 
Mrs. S. the parsonage. Rev. Mr. Hare kindly conducted me through the 
house. It is a very comfortable establishment. I think you will like it 
quite as well as any of your former homes. A detailed description I will 
reserve until we meet. The former pastor, Brother Hare, will not get out 
till next Monday. Then the trustees will commence vigorously the work 
of repair and improvement. They will paper some of the rooms, and paint 
the house throughout. This can not be finished next week. Hence I pro- 
pose to get my pulpit supplied for the following Sabbath (the 26th of May), 
and bring on my family the latter part of the next week. I am so thorough- 
ly homesick that I can not readily consent to remain here another week. 
My goods will probably arrive to-morrow ; but, as Brother Hare will not 
take up his bed and walk before next Monday, I may have to remain until 
Tuesday, that I may superintend the transfer of my boxes to our new home. 
In that case I will not see you before Tuesday evening or Wednesday next. 

" John left this morning for Lennox, his appointment. He is in good spir- 
its, and thinks he will be pleased. We shall hear more on his return next 
week. This evening is the occasion of our regular weekly prayer-meeting. 
I am looking forward to it with considerable interest. On Sabbath I expect 
to preach morning and evening. This is a prospective trial, but I shall look 
to and depend upon Him who has said, ' I will never leave thee — no ! I will 
never forsake thee.' Pray for me. If I should complete my arrangements 
we will spend the following Sabbath together quietly in Columbia. This will 
be for me a great treat after the excitement of the last fortnight." 



OUTBREAK OF THE REBELLION. 



235 



The first year of the pastorate at Central passed usefully and 
pleasantly, affording every indication that the new minister had 
taken a strong hold upon the affections of his people. It was 
the year of the outbreak of the rebellion ■ and, perhaps, one of 
the most trying periods for all the ordinary methods of minis- 
terial work which the American Church has known. It was a 
time when the pruning-hook was beaten into the spear, and the 
plowshare into the sword. The war spirit had possessed the 
populations ; the great masses had risen as one man for the 
vindication and safety of the Union ; and from one end of the 
land to the other the strange noise of drum and fife called the 
young men to arms, and the highways and streets were thronged 
with troops marching southward for battle. New York was in 
a ferment of excitement — her streets were drill-grounds, her 
public squares barracks, her Sabbaths fallen under the stern 
exigency of preparation for instant conflict. 

Amid such scenes it was no wonder if the congregations of 
the churches were decimated, and the spirit of religious revival 
repressed. After the first blaze of patriotic fire had spent it- 
self, and the people had become used to matter-of-fact war — 
found themselves humbled with disappointment, and settled 
down to the hard tug of persistent efforts — there came a reac- 
tion in the religious feeling, and an increased attendance of the 
multitudes upon public worship. Through this season of dis- 
couragement Mr. Cookman, like other faithful ministers, stood 
his ground, worked how, where, and when he could. We have 
seen that even before his settlement in New York he preached 
to the soldiers at Union Square. It was a stirring sermon, full 
of patriotism, but, if possible, fuller of Christ. That service was 
but the first of many that followed— sermons and speeches 
which helped to keep alive in the country both faith in God and 
faith in the Republic. 

In New York as in Philadelphia we hear of him at the Union 
prayer-meetings. He who had borne such an active part in 



236 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



the one city could not remain idle in the other. At the anni- 
versary of the Fulton Street prayer-meeting he was heard to 
utter these clear and ringing words : 

" It may not be uninteresting or inappropriate for me to state 
that while I lived in the city of Philadelphia I had the honor 
to be the pastor of the Church which stands upon the site of 
the ' Old Academy,' as it was designated, the favorite preach- 
ing-place of the illustrious Whitefield. 

" In the lecture-room of that Church was organized the first 
noonday prayer-meeting for the city of Philadelphia. It was 
commenced by a young man who had resided in the city of 
New York, and who had frequently availed himself of the priv- 
ileges of this Fulton Street noonday service. After his re- 
moval to Philadelphia, he felt that a similar meeting would be 
profitable in his own experience and for the community at large, 
and was resolved to assume the responsibility of its establish- 
ment. It is but proper to say that, in the first instance, the 
effort was feeble and unpromising ; and many times have I 
passed by the door of that lecture-room, and, glancing in when 
I ought to have gone in, observed three or four prostrate be- 
fore God, importuning an outpouring of divine influence upon 
themselves and upon others. Those prayers, however, were ef- 
fectual ; they reached the ear, and they influenced the heart of 
an almighty Saviour; and before long the number attending the 
service in that lecture-room was very considerably increased. 
It was then resolved to remove to Jayne's Hall, of which doubt- 
less you have all heard quite frequently ; and after the removal 
to Jayne's Hall the interest so rapidly extended that before the 
lapse of a week four thousand persons might have been seen 
associated together for the purpose of public prayer. 

" If these humble efforts were followed by such special re- 
sults in that case, what may we not hope for after the patient and 
the persistent prayers that have been going up from this Fulton 
Street meeting, and from similar services, during a succession 



THE FULTON STREET PRAYER-MEETING. 237 

of years ? I have the impression that when these terrible prov- 
idences which are associated with our present war shall have 
mellowed the great national heart, the results of these prayers 
will appear in a mighty and unprecedented Pentecostal baptism, 
when there shall not be four thousand or forty thousand only, 
but millions prostrate beneath the mighty power of God. And 
oh ! in the prospect of such an outpouring, may we not to-day 
linger in the midst of our great country, desolated not only by 
civil but spiritual rebellion, covered all over with moral death, 
and may we not imitate the example of the prophet, as with the 
voice of one man, and pray, ' Come, come from the four winds, 

breath ! and breathe upon these souls that they may live ?' 

" As an encouragement to prayer for individuals, will you 
excuse me if I introduce a passage from personal experience ? 

1 was the eldest of six children, five sons and one daughter. 
The mysterious hand of God's providence buried my precious 
father while I was still young in yon broad, deep ocean. My 
widowed mother — for whom I will even in this public way praise 
the Father of the fatherless — was greatly concerned, of course, 
for the salvation of all her children. Her prayers, which were 
importunate and constant, were heard in heaven, and soon they 
began to be answered, as one after the other of her sons was 
brought into the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Four years 
ago we were, as I trust, a united family in Christ, with one ex- 
ception, and that exception was a beloved brother, a noble, af- 
fectionate young man, twenty-seven years of age. He had been 
my associate during life ; we had played together as boys ; we 
had slept in the same bed; we had attended the academy to- 
gether ; we had bowed at the same maternal knee, and had 
joined in repeating the petition, ' Our Father which art in 
heaven.' 

" I can not tell this audience how I agonized for the salvation 
of that brother, and how anxious I was that we might be a 
united family in the Saviour in time, and then an undivided 



2 3 8 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



household in paradise. Morning, noon, and night I brought 
this interest to a throne of heavenly grace ; and one day I rose 
in the Philadelphia noon prayer -meeting and asked them to 
pray for that brother. Oh, how they prayed ! I shall never 
forget their interest and earnestness, and if I am so happy as to 
reach the glory-land, I think I shall find out some of those 
Christians, and will thank them for their united and importu- 
nate prayers upon the occasion of that noonday service. Only 
a short time elapsed when that brother, who was unaware that 
united prayer had been offered in his behalf, was found prostrate 
penitently before God, and became a subject of regenerating 
grace. He joined the Church, and has subsequently come to be 
one of the most earnest, consistent young Christians I ever knew. 

" Before I sit down, allow me to speak of a circumstance 
which transpired in the neighborhood of Boston. A few years 
since two gentlemen entered a car in that city en route for the 
interior, and, seated side by side, they very naturally fell into 
conversation, when it transpired that they were both traveling to 
the same place, and soon, to their mutual surprise, they discov- 
ered that they bore the same name. Then they ascertained that 
they were both going to see an elder brother, one whom they had 
not met for many, many years • and then the almost overpower- 
ing truth burst upon them that they were literal, natural broth- 
ers, who in the providence of God had met in this most extraor- 
dinary way. They had been separated from early childhood, 
and now, after the lapse of thirty long years, they had been 
most surprisingly brought together. As I have been sitting 
here and listening to allusions about heaven, I have said in my 
heart, 'That is my place of destination, and I hope, through 
grace, to stand triumphantly upon Caanan's shining shore.' 
And then, as you have used the term Christian, I have said in- 
wardly, 1 That is pre-eminently my name.' I am -a Methodist 
Christian. I do not attach a very great deal of importance to 
the Methodist, but I would place very strong emphasis upon 



SING-SING CAMP-MEETING. 



239 



the designation Christian. Just as my name is Alfred Cookman. 
I care not for the Alfred ; I would just as soon it was George 
or Joseph or John, but I cling tenaciously to my family name. 
As you have made very touching and beautiful reference to 
Jesus, I can say he is my elder brother, and I hope after a 
while to be associated with him in heaven. It is a delightful 
truth that we are associated to-day, brothers and sisters in Christ 
Jesus, hastening onward as rapidly as time can bear us, 
" ' To the house of our Father above, 
The palace of angels and God.' " 

It could not have been otherwise than that Mr. Cookman 
would early make the acquaintance of the famous Sing-Sing 
camp-ground. To a beautiful grove, lying back of the village, 
many of the Methodists of New York and vicinity had long 
been accustomed to resort for their annual religious festival. 
Before the days of railroads, by sailing-vessel and steam-boat, 
thither the city folks made their way, and the farmers drove in 
from the adjacent country, that on this time-honored spot they 
might worship God. Whether this zealous friend of camp-meet- 
ings reported himself the first year of his residence in New York 
does not appear, but the second year he was there, mingling 
amid its devotions, enjoying its Christian fellowship, and preach- 
ing with his usual power and acceptability. Mrs. Cookman 
had gone with the children to spend the hot weather at the 
family retreat, her father's home in Columbia, Pennsylvania. 

To his wife : 

"New York, Saturday, August 30, 1862. 
" Home from camp-meeting, tired enough. Went to bed this morning 
at one o'clock ; at two disturbed by singing in the adjoining tent ; at five, 
or even before, dressed myself and prepared for the homeward march. We 
have had a glorious week. Oh ! I can never, never forget it. The camp 
has been only outside of heaven itself. Weather favorable. Friends atten- 
tive and affectionate. Meetings powerful and blessed. Arriving on the 
ground in time for afternoon preaching, heard a sermon from a Brother Lit- 
tlewood on 'Enduring hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ;' in the 



240 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



evening, a Brother Bates on the ' Conversion of St. Paul.' On Wednesday 
morning Dr. True preached about Moses. In the afternoon an old veteran 
of the Troy Conference discoursed on the subject of ' Holiness ; ' in the 
evening Brother D. Buck on '-Mercy and righteousness have met together,' 
etc. Thursday, Dr. Wentworth preached in his usual effective camp-meet- 
ing style on 'Christ crucified;' in the afternoon Brother Newman on ' Holi- 
ness' — an excellent sermon. In the evening Rev. H. Cox, of St. Louis, 
occupied the time in presenting his cause and taking a collection. Fri- 
day, Brother Pegg preached in the morning on 'This treasure in earthen 
vessels ;' in the afternoon Brother Fox, of Forty-third Street, on ' I have a 
baptism to be baptized with, and I am straitened until it is accomplished 
and in the evening your poor unworthy husband on ' Redeeming the time.' 

" Oh, how much oppressed I felt in view of my fearful responsibility ! But, 
glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, divine strength was made perfect 
in my great weakness, and I think that never have I preached so much in 
demonstration of the Spirit. Sinners were smitten on the right hand and 
on the left. The altar and tents were occupied with penitents and praying 
Christians ; many souls were converted. One gentleman of forty years of 
age was awakened and converted while I preached. Not unto me, not unto 
me, but unto my blessed, blessed Saviour shall be all the praise and glory, 
now and forever more. 

" My own soul has been greatly refreshed and strengthened through the 
rich privileges I have been enjoying. I trust that I am more powerful to 
do for Christ than I have been. Glory to the Lamb ! 

" Mrs. S and Mrs. D occupied the same tent. They had one of 

the sweetest camp-meeting homes you ever saw. They were more than 
kind to me. There was nothing I needed that they did not immediately 
and cheerfully provide for me. How strange that I, one of the least of 
God's servants, should be the recipient of so many Christian attentions 

and kindnesses. As Mrs. S suggested in the cars this morning, we 

shall have something to talk about all the autumn approaching. She is 
better, I think, in health ; and in her experience is bright and happy be- 
yond precedent. Would you believe it, she almost avows herself now an 
abolitionist. When prayer was offered for the emancipation of the slaves, 
she would ring out her hearty 'Amen !' Glory to God ! So much for the 
power of holiness. 

" Arriving home this morning, I found your sweet, wife-like letters, which, 
you may be sure, I seized upon and devoured immediately. How glad I 
am that the well ones continue as usual, and the sick ones are no worse. 
The tidings respecting Bruner are decidedly encouraging. May God have 



LETTERS TO HIS CHILDREN. 



2 4 I 



you all in His care and keeping ! I feel so much confidence in my Heav- 
enly Father as to be persuaded that he will do exactly right." 

The delight which Mr. Cookman found in his family is man- 
ifest in all his letters. Those who knew him most intimately 
will recall that he never seemed so perfectly happy as when in 
the bosom of his home. The letters which he wrote his chil- 
dren when absent on their summer vacations were full of sweet- 
ness. They did not lack good advice ; but were rather char- 
acterized for parental tenderness and familiarity. He could be 
a child among his children. Up to this time there had been 
no alloy in his domestic bliss — the children, his wife, and him- 
self had been favored with uninterrupted health ; but now it 
pleased God to allow sickness to enter the circle. His eldest 
son and first-born, Bruner, was affected with a painful disease, 
which finally, after some years of suspense, terminated his life. 
A few letters of this date happily illustrate the feelings which 
animated his soul under the checkered dispensations of Provi- 
dence. Happy in the sunshine, he was not despondent in the 
shade. The first touches of sorrow were borne with resigna- 
tion, and served but to mellow his rapidly growing experience. 

To his children : 

" New York, June 21, 1862. 

" This is Saturday night, when pa, you know, usually studies his sermons. 
Bruner is asleep, Will is asleep, little Beck Evans is asleep, ma is getting 
ready for bed, and I am writing a letter to my dear George and precious 
Frank and sweet little sister Puss. Well, how have you been getting along 
this week ? I hope you have been very good, making as little noise as pos- 
sible ; obeying all that aunt B or grandma has said, remembering your 

prayers every night and morning, asking your blessing, and behaving well 
at the table, and acting like little New York gentlemen. On Tuesday I 
watched you waving your hats and handkerchiefs and flags until I could see 
you no longer ; then I sat down until I reached Lancaster. There I waited 
an hour, and took another train of cars, and got to Philadelphia in time for 
tea, stayed at uncle George's all night, and the next day started for New York. 

" When I got home little Prince danced for joy, he was so glad to see 
me. Then I started for Xyack, where I found ma and Brune and Will and 
little baby sister. They were almost as much delighted as Prince, and 

L 



242 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



asked me a hundred questions about George and Frank and sister. I told 
ma you were magnificent boys ; that Frank did not cry ; that sister was 
growing to be a large and lovely girl. We talk about you every day, and 
want the weeks to go by right fast until we shall all sit down together in Co- 
lumbia. Thursday afternoon we returned from Mr. T.'s. Yesterday ma 
and Brune had a long, pleasant ride in Mr. R.'s carriage. Brune drove 
nearly all the way. To-day ma and Brune and Will and Betty and the 

baby went with Mr. P to the Central Park, and heard the music. It 

was splendid ! 

"Now I must close my letter. On Monday we have our Sabbath-school 
excursion. Next week, perhaps, I will write and tell you all about it. Be 
very good boys. We send kisses. George must kiss Frank and Sis for 
me ; Frank must kiss George and Sis for ma ; Sis must kiss George and 
Frank for Brune. Do not forget. Good-night." 

To his daughter Annie, when a young child : • 

"My dear, darling Little Puss, — This is your letter, written by your 
precious papa. Every day he thinks about you, and wants the time to come 
when he may take you in his arms again. If you were here to-night he 
would not be satisfied with one less than a dozen kisses. Your dear broth- 
er Bruner has been very sick. He often talks about his little pet sister in 
Columbia. You ought to see his dog. The dog's name is Prince — a hap- 
py little fellow that barks at Willie, and plays with Frank, and jumps up on 
George, and follows Brune wherever he goes. I know he would love you 
dearly ; he could not help it. Every body loves my little darling Puss, but 
nobody better than her devoted pa. Be a very good girl ; learn to jump 
rope ; help grandma to water the flowers ; mind every thing aunt B — — 
says to you ; kiss Mozie and little Alfred for me ; don't eat all the currants 
and gooseberries before I come, but keep ever so many for your dear 
pa. Would you not like me to send you a pretty picture-book ? Keep a 
look-out, and some of these days Kate will find one in the post-office for 
Miss Annie Cookman. Won't that be nice ? Now give me a good-bye 
kiss." 

To his children : 

"New York, June 24, 1862. 

"My dear George and Frank and Little Sister, — We received 
George's letter this afternoon, and were glad to know that you are all well 
and enjoying yourselves. Be very good children, and in a few weeks you 
will see your dear ma and Bruner and Willie and the baby. Did I not 
promise to tell you about the Sunday-school excursion ? Well, yesterday 



THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL PICNIC. 



243 



morning we rose early, got ready, and went down to the wharf, where we 
found a large number of the boys and girls, with their parents and teachers. 
At about eight o'clock we started, and sailed down the bay. It was a beau- 
tiful morning, the sun was shining brightly, the air was cool, the boat was 
large and comfortable. Bruney, Willie, baby, Betty, Julia, and mamma, 
with the little carriage, were all on board. Brune ate cakes and drank min- 
eral water. About eleven o'clock we got to Biddle's Grove, on Staten Isl- 
and. This was a beautiful place, with swings and tables and a great many 
nice things. We had an excellent dinner, some charming walks, a game of 
ball, and then we. started for home, where we arrived in the evening about 
seven o'clock. It was one of the happiest days I ever spent. Now I have 
bad news to tell you. Little Prince is dead. He died to-day. Instead of 
getting better, as we hoped, he got worse, until he could not walk or stand, 
and then the poor little fellow died. Bruner sat down and took a good cry. 
Some persons think he was so pretty that he ought to be stuffed, like those 
animals you saw at Barnum's Museum. But this is not worth while. He 
will either be buried or thrown into the river. Your little brother Willie 
told me this afternoon he was going to take 'me da — da in the 'team-boat.' 
When he takes me, I reckon we will go to Columbia. Now remember to 
be very good ; say no bad words ; go with no bad boys ; be kind to grand- 
ma and grandpa ; obey all aunt B says, and do not get sick or hurt 

yourselves. 

" Now I must give you a good-night kiss — one for George, one for Frank, 
and one for dear little sister Puss. Ma says I must send ever so many for 
her, and Bruney for him, and Willie for him." 

To his wife : 

"Home, Tuesday night, Seventh Avenue. 
" I have just returned from meeting. The rain of course influenced our 
numbers, and yet I was gratified to see so many present. There were four 
at the altar. One or two of those who presented themselves as penitents 
last evening have since then experienced peace. With a single exception, 
we had every unconverted person in our congregation to-night forward for 
prayers. Personally, I have had a rather desolate day. When you are 
here it is home ; when you are away it is a house. After bidding you good- 
bve, I returned through the fog to our noisy city, drew some funds, paid 
for my last barrel of potatoes, bought sister a locket, which I afterward 
filled with likenesses of ' Ma and Pa? purchased Brune and Frank books, 
and returned home. The children were in the best of spirits, and delighted 
with their presents. After dinner a letter came from Columbia, acquainting 
us with the improving condition of mother. Had this letter reached the 



244 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



parsonage before nine o'clock this morning, you would at least have been 
tempted to postpone your visit. About three o'clock the children had their 
anticipated party. I honored them with my presence. It was a gala time. 
After taking a glass of lemonade and enjoying a little chat, I went over to 
the Tuesday-afternoon meeting. It was not very large, but exceedingly 
profitable. Returned home, and had tea and prayer with the children. 
Mary devotes herself to them ; she is very successful in interesting and en- 
tertaining them. Pa is unusually tender and affectionate. All his sympa- 
thies seem drawn out for the little darlings, usually so dependent upon their 
mother. The fact is, I am almost entirely at their mercy just now. They 
can do with me almost as they please, sister especially." 

To his wife : 

" Seventh Avenue, New York, Thursday eve, 1862. 
" Another day is waning. With us it has been decidedly wintry. The 
ground is covered with snow, though the prospect now is that rain will soon 
dissolve this, leaving us a delightful condition of things in our streets. Nine 
faithful ones braved the storm, that they might enjoy together the afternoon 
meeting. It was a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Your 
dear little pets have been behaving themselves beautifully all day. This 
morning they turned their attention to the art of photographing. The magic 
lantern was the camera, Bruner the operator, and every body about the house 
patrons. I, of course, had my likeness taken. It was not flattering. They 
are all pretty well. George complains of headache this morning, and of 
course was permitted to remain at home. This suited Frank perfectly. 
Sister is very affectionate and good. Will steadily increases in sweetness. 
If you could have seen him this afternoon after he was dressed, you would 
have covered his fat little cheeks with kisses. They are very, very dear 
children. I have returned from our evening meeting. Owing to the storm, 
which is very violent to-night, the number present was small. The service, 
however, was decidedly profitable. We have your telegram, but no letter 
as yet ; perhaps to-morrow will bring this coveted treasure. We talk a 
great deal about you, and think more. Twelve years of married life have 
made you a part of myself, which must be near, or I feel bereft and incom- 
plete. I think I love God more for the gift of my faithful and devoted wife. 
Next to His Son, the blessed Christ, this is my greatest mercy. This is 
such letter-writing as used to characterize our honey-moon — but is it not hon- 
ey-moon still, only the moon has been steadily increasing in magnitude and 
glory. The children are most probably kissing you in their dreams. Give 
Becky Evans (the babe) an extra kiss." 



SICKNESS OF HIS SON BRUNER. 



245 



To his brother, Mr. George Cookman, of Philadelphia : 

" New York, Tuesday afternoon. 
" In accordance with your suggestion, I have just written the long-prom- 
ised letter to J C . I trust that it may comfort and profit him in 

the midst of his protracted affliction. The illness of our precious Brunei- 
has so engrossed my time and thoughts and feelings, that friendly corre- 
spondence has been almost entirely out of the question. Since our return 
to New York he has been steadily declining. He is now confined to his 
room, and spends a good part of his time in a reclining posture, propped up 
with pillows. The action of his heart evidently gets worse and worse. This 
produces a violent cough, which is terribly racking to his system, and an 
exceedingly delicate stomach, which refuses almost every thing. Most of 
the time he is the victim of nausea. All this, with a swollen state of his 
system and frequent spells of oppression, will give you some idea of the 
sufferings of this precious boy. Oh ! it is hard thus to see him suffer. Al- 
though my dearly beloved son, our first-born, and the object of cherished 
hopes in connection with the future, yet I could consent to close his eyes in 
death, if he might escape all that suffocation and weakness and pain which 
now seem to make his life a burden to himself. Our sympathies are terribly 
tasked. We want to do something, and suffer under a sense of our inability. 
It is the trial of my life. "Still, my dear George, I will not murmur. My 
kind Heavenly Father can not err or be unkind. If He slay me or mine, 
still I will trust in Him. You will be rejoiced to know that the grace of 
God is so supporting during the season of sorrow. To lose Bruner is like 
taking away a part of my heart, but, oh ! Christ has had, does have, and 
shall have all — all for time and eternity. My precious wife bears up better 
than you could expect. Like myself, she is in the furnace, but sweetly re- 
alizes the presence of the faithful Jesus." 

To his sister-in-law, Miss Rebecca Bruner : 

" New York, September 17, 1862. 
" Annie is so much engrossed with the duties of a sick-room that I have 
consented to undertake the department of correspondence. You will regret 
to learn that Bruner is manifestly declining. Ever since his return to New 
York he has been steadily running down. Arriving on Friday afternoon, 
the following Sabbath found him considerably swollen, which is regarded as 
a most discouraging symptom of his disease. This swelling not only con- 
tinues, but seems gradually to increase. This is occasioned by the feeble 
circulation, as we judge from the fact that his extremities have to be fre- 
quently and violently rubbed. The action of his heart is evidently worse. 



246 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



A little distance from his body you can hear an audible sound. His heart 
pressing upon his lungs, he suffers with a racking and distressing cough — 
pressing also upon his stomach, he is the subject of almost constant nausea. 
All medicine and even the plainest food seem to disagree with him. As- 
sociate all these symptoms with frequent spells of oppression, when he re- 
ally lives with great effort, and you have some idea of the condition and suf- 
ferings of this precious boy. The doctor said to me yesterday afternoon 
that he thought we would have to make up our minds to lose our cherished 
son. It is a trial — a terrible trial — the trial of our life, for Bruner is not only 
our first-born, the object of cherished hopes in connection with the future, 
but, as you know, a boy of principle and integrity ; his influence with his lit- 
tle brothers has been most wholesome. I feel as if Providence was about 
to transfer a part of my heart to heaven, and yet I must not murmur. It is 
my Heavenly Father ; let Him do as seemeth Him good. Annie, of course, 
is carrying a heavy burden. She was proud of Bruner, and you are aware 
of his special love for her. At the present he can scarcely bear her out of 
his sight. The prospect and probability of losing him stirs all the depths 
of her sensitive and affectionate heart. God is gracious to her. I think she 
is leaning more heavily than ever before on the Almighty arm. 

"Little Rebecca Evans changes very much from time to time — now better 
and then not so well — but on the whole is, I think, gradually improving. The 
other children are very well and exceedingly good. George and Frank go 
regularly to school. Sister and Will play very nicely together. George is very 
tender and affectionate with Bruner. He sits at his side, and seems to be 
full of interest and sympathy. Your little pet talks often about aunt Beckie. 
You are a queen in her heart. How long Bruner will last we can not tell. 
If he runs down as rapidly in the future as he has during the last ten days, 
he will soon be at rest. Pray for us, and write as often as you can." 

The following letter to Mr. Thomas W. Price, of Philadelphia, 
on the loss of an infant child, named for Mrs. Cookman, evinces 
the facility and heartiness with which Mr. Cookman could enter 
into the feelings of his friends. No wonder such a nature 
should have touched depths and drawn to it affections which 
lie quite unmoved by ordinary men : 

" Columbia, August 5, 1862. 
" Glancing through the columns of yesterday's Inquirer, my eye fell on a 
notice of the death of your dear little Annie Cookman. It shocked us not 
a little, for when we last saw her she was the very picture of health. How 



EARTH STRANGE — HEAVEN HOME-LIKE. 



247 



often is it the case that our cherished ones, whose promise for long life is 
the most flattering, are the first to be smitten by death's relentless hand ! 

" You will believe me when I assure you that this bereavement has awak- 
ened in our hearts the liveliest sympathy and sorrow. 

" We recognized in this little namesake a living and breathing bond, to 
bind even more closely that special affection which subsists between our 
families. We remember the interest and love with which you regarded this 
last-born, we are reminded of the unusual sweetness and loveliness of the 
babe herself, and then feel that you have sustained a sad loss. Another 
breach is occasioned in your affections. 

" In circumstances like these, how consolatory are the truths of our holy 
religion. The unseen hand of God's providence has taken from your family 
nest this little immortal, and, lifting her up, constituted her an angel in the 
paradise above. Thus the attractiveness of heaven is increased. As we 
pass on in life, meeting such afflictions, earth becomes more and more a 
strange land, while heaven wears more and more of a home-like aspect. 
Associated with the little brother who some years since was wrested from 
your parental embrace, the two now, as I doubt not, stand on ' the shining 
shore ' to welcome the family into everlasting habitations. 

" When you sing in the future that line of the long-metre doxology, viz., 
' Praise Him above, ye heavenly host,' it will possess a deeper meaning, 
awaken more tender feelings, and enkindle more heavenly aspirations. 

" So far as I am aware, this is the first Annie Cookman that has entered 
those realms of light; and if spirits can know one another, then I am sure 
her name in that world will immediately introduce her to the fellowship of 
some dearly beloved ones who have gone before. 

" God bless you abundantly, my cherished brother and sister. My heart 
has always been full of love for you both, and now in your affliction I want 
to say something or do something that may lighten the burden which this 
bereavement has laid upon your tender and deeply affectionate hearts. May 
I not pray that our covenant-keeping God will sanctify this dispensation to 
your good, vouchsafe you special consolation and grace, and make you event- 
ually an undivided family in the skies ? I would have been at the funeral 
but for the illness of our babe. For about ten days she has been hovering 
between life and death. Her condition is still very critical. I shall not be 
astonished if these precious children (little Annie and Rebecca), of about the 
same age, should both be in a better world about the same time." 

One of Mr. Cookman's first steps on coming to New York 
was to find his way to the meetings for the promotion of holi- 
ness held at the house of Dr. Palmer, on Rivington Street. 



24§ 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



He was in close sympathy with their specific aim, and became 
during his ministry in New York not only a receiver of great 
good through their agency, but also a contributor to their use- 
fulness. His presence was regarded with great respect and joy 
by the large class of thoughtful, earnest, and devout persons 
who frequented the place. His words were uniformly discrimi- 
nating and weighty — directly to the point and full of unction ; 
and were perhaps as efficacious in nourishing the life of holi- 
ness as the words of many who were more advanced in years. 

The following remarks, made at these meetings some time in 
the year 1862, and taken from his lips at the time by a friend, 
are valuable as examples of his brief testimonies : 

" Brother Elliott said last Tuesday that while we were not 
bowed in prayer, yet prayers all the time were going up ! Do 
we pray without ceasing ? Do we talk with Jesus ? I have been 
thinking so much of that exceeding great privilege to walk and 
talk with Jesus. As I pass along the noisy thoroughfares of 
this busy city, I feel that Jesus is near. I remember to have 
spent a few hours with Dr. Olin, whose portrait hangs yonder, 
having been his companion when I was a youth in a little 
journey he made in the vicinity of Washington City. I wanted 
to be silent, and drink in every word he uttered. I remember 
now that I have intercourse and association with a greater than 
Dr. Olin. I am so glad to be a friend of Christ's : ' Ye are my 
friends if ye do whatsoever I command you,' comes to my mind 
very sweetly. Within the last few weeks a sentiment of Luther's 
has been very present, in which he speaks of the first great step, 
the second, and the third, in a life of piety, being humility. I 
have been able to say for years, I am saved through the blood 
of Jesus Christ. I have no doubt of my personal purity, but 
I want to be filled with the Spirit. I am hungering and thirst- 
ing after righteousness, and God is filling me. I have been too 
anxious for all the fullness at once; now I am willing to be filled 
by little and little, as God may determine. I am climbing up. 



THE RIVINGTON STREET MEETING. 249 

I don't leave my present stand-point, but I am climbing up, and 
wish to do so forever and ever. 

"I do realize that the blood of Jesus Christ does cleanse me 
from all. sin. There are two little sentiments which have been 
the subjects of frequent and delightful thought. One is 'whiter 
than snow.' Wonderful that I, so low and so unworthy, should 
have this present personal experience — that Christ's blood 
should make me whiter 'than snow.' The other sentiment is 
' Life hid with Christ.' Christ takes me into His bosom — 
Jesus wraps me up, envelops me in Himself. I want my words, 
actions, and all to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to 
avoid any action or word which may not be in harmony with 
the will of God. My self-examination leads me, in the midst 
of infirmities and deficiencies, to declare that I have the sense 
and witness of heart-purity. How can this be ? It is all through 
Christ I am made pure through the infinite atonement of the 
Lamb of God. Pray for me ; it is the especial desire of my 
heart that I may be filled with God — be faithful, devoted, and 
ready for every good work." 

The spirit breathed in these expressions was the spirit in 
which the devout pastor lived all the while. His conversation 
was in heaven. Meeting him one day on the street, near his 
own house, he said, " I want to go .to heaven ; I would like to 
be off if it were God's will ; not that I am tired of life, or do 
not feel I have much to live for, but, oh, to be with Jesus is 
much more desirable !" Again, walking Broadway with him on 
one occasion, he put his arm around me and drew me affec- 
tionately to him, and said, "Oh, brother Henry, I wish you 
could see your way clear to come out decidedly on this great 
subject of perfect love, not only to enter into it, but to profess it 
• — remember your sermon on 'spiritual discernment:' as in re- 
generation, so in entire sanctification, it is only when we have 
experienced the blessing that we can discern its nature." 

One cold afternoon in November we left the old Book Con- 

L 2 



250 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



cern, Mulberry Street, together, and, reaching Broadway, we in- 
tended to get into omnibuses, as it was snowing violently — 
he into one which turned off toward Seventh Avenue, and I 
into one which ran up Fourth Avenue. The omnibuses were 
crowded. He suggested that we walk on. We did so, and soon 
we became so absorbed in conversation as to forget the stages 
and the snow. When we arrived at the parting-point we both ex- 
pressed surprise. The delight of conversation had subdued the 
cold and the distance. "Thus it is," he quickly said, "when we 
walk and talk with Jesus. It smoothes all the severities of life." 

Before following Mr. Cookman to his next charge, I must 
present an example of the patriotic speeches which he deliv- 
ered, and also of the firm and advanced opinions which he ex- 
pressed on national affairs, in the great crisis of the country. 
In the summer of 1862, while on a visit with his family at Co- 
lumbia, an immense war meeting was held at Lancaster, and he 
was one of the speakers. I quote from a report of it which 
appeared in one of the daily papers : 

"Fellow-Citizens : This is to me a somewhat unexpected call, but I 
should feel myself recreant to every great principle of patriotism and of truth 
if I refused or even hesitated in this my native county, for it may not be 
known to many of you that I first opened my eyes upon God's world within 
the limits of old Lancaster ; it gave me a being, and it gave me one of the 
best of wives, so that I feel under immense obligations to it. [Cheers.] I 
say that I should feel myself recreant to every principle of truth and right 
if I hesitated to seize this opportunity to say, in the language of old John 
Adams, ' Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my heart and 
my hand ' to these Union measures. It is my living sentiment, and with 
the blessing of God it will be my dying sentiment — liberty and the Union 
now, liberty and the Union forever. [Great applause.] 

" It is useless for any of us to disguise the fact — the stern and startling fact 
=-that this Union, which is so unutterably dear to our hearts, is at the pres- 
ent time in imminent peril. Thousands, yea, hundreds of thousands of our 
fellow- citizens, organized and armed, are intent upon the overthrow of this, 
I dare to say, the very best Government that yonder sun ever looked down 
upon ; a Government which ought to be just as dear to them as to our- 



WAR SPEECH AT LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA. 25 1 

selves ; a Government with which our own hopes and the hopes of our chil- 
dren and children's children are intimately bound up to the very latest gen- 
eration ; a Government closely connected, as we think, with the cause of 
liberty throughout the world, for if our experiment of self-government should 
prove a failure, we are satisfied that it must put back the hand of freedom 
on the dial-plate of time at least fifty or one hundred years ; a Government 
which, so far as we may judge, is one of Jehovah's right hands of power for 
the overthrow of despotism, error, ignorance, and every thing which could 
hinder the coming of His kingdom. Thousands and hundreds of thousands 
of our fellow-citizens, with worse than vandal-like violence, are rushing for- 
ward to destroy the superstructure of that Government. Now the practical 
inquiry occurs, What is to be done ? The answer, it appears to me, is an 
easy one. 

" My fellow-citizens, what would you do if to-night at twelve o'clock you 
were to find an assassin in your bed-chamber, fully resolved upon your life ? 
I make no question but that you would spring from your slumbers and 
grapple with him, and not even hesitate to put him to death in order to save 
your own life. Parent, what would you do if a rebellion were to arise in 
your domestic circle ? Would you not stretch forward the hand of author- 
ity and quickly quell it ? Citizens of Lancaster, what would you do if an 
infamous mob should rise up in these streets to destroy valuable property 
and imperil precious life ? I make no doubt that you would take down the 
muskets and rifles still remaining among you, and with the point of the bay- 
onet or with the use of ammunition drive back and put down such a mob. 
And you would do right. Self-protection would demand such a course. 
And in this case it is a stern duty. As Luther remarked on one occasion, 
? May God help us, we can not do otherwise.' That flag yonder must float ; 
our Government must be maintained. [Cheers.] Our Union must be pre- 
served and perpetuated in all its purity and integrity. [Cheers.] Millions 
may be spent, hundreds of thousands of lives may be sacrificed, a whole 
generation may be blotted out, and still we insist that it is of the very first 
consequence that our nationality be vindicated. [' Good,' and cheers.] 
Now I apprehend that it is with this great principle in view we are assem- 
bled and associated this afternoon. 

" A remark of Colonel Forney's brought to my mind a circumstance which 
transpired many years ago. It is said that in a military engagement which 
occurred somewhere near the boundary-line which separates England and 
Scotland, a young chieftain fell just at the moment when, at the head of his 
troop, he was furiously and successfully charging the foe. His comrades in 
arms, seeing him fall, were immediately seized with consternation, and be- 



252 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



gan to retire in confusion. Witnessing this, his soul immediately filled with 
sorrow, and, although he was feeble, he managed with some effort to raise 
himself upon his elbow, and while the life-blood was fast gushing from the 
gaping wound, while eternity was opening before him, he seized his sword, 
and, waving it over his head, shouted at the top of his voice, 1 My boys, I 
am not dead ! I am not dead, but I am looking to see that every man does 
his duty.' [Cheers.] So I am here this afternoon to say that our Union 
is not dead. She has been wounded, foully and fearfully wounded ; and, 
observe, too, in the house of her friends. Still she is not dead. Hear it, 
you daughters and sons of Lancaster, she is not dead — never dead ; but, 
sword in hand, she is looking to see that every citizen does his duty. [Great 
applause.] She is looking to ascertain whether, in this time of exigency, we 
will rally to the rescue ; whether in this, the darkest hour of the Republic, 
we will come up united to the help of freedom and the help of God. For, 
remember, this is the cause of truth ; this is the cause of justice ; this is the 
cause of freedom ; this is the cause of the Union ; this is the cause of God. 
[Cheers.] I insist that God is always on the side of truth and justice and 
freedom. Will you not, then — will you not — will not all these young men 
and citizens, esteem it at once an obligation and a privilege and a joy to 
consecrate their energies, their substance, their time, their lives, and their 
all upon the altar of our country's cause ? [Cheers.] 

" Allusion has been made to the patriot daughters of Lancaster. God 
bless them ! I see them in these windows and assembled in the vicinity of 
this stand. God bless them ! Mothers, wives, daughters, sisters collected 
here, we have some faint idea of the sacrifices you are called upon to make, 
and of the sufferings which you, in the providence of God, must still under- 
go. Still I trust that at least an overwhelming majority of you have the 
spirit of that mother in the city of Philadelphia, who said the other day, 
' What are sons worth without a country ?' [Cheers.] I trust you have the 
spirit of a friend and former parishioner of mine in the borough of Harris- 
burg, who has sent six stalwart sons to the scene of strife. Just before they 
left home and their mother's presence they assembled in a photographic 
gallery and had their pictures taken, the eldest son standing in the midst of 
his other brothers, and grasping the flag of the stars and stripes, and that 
picture left with the mother is an evidence of undying affection. I think, 
too, in this connection of a mother in the State of New York, whose son 
the other day proceeded to the seat of war. He was connected with the 
Sheppard Rifles, Colonel Fareira commanding. It so occurred that the 
young man's position was at the end of the platoon, near the curb-stone, and 
the mother, anxious to be with him as long as he remained in New York, 



HEROISM OF THE WAR. 



253 



took her place at his side. As the regiment moved along Fourteenth Street 
and down Broadway, that heroic old American mother walked with her boy, 
keeping step with him. To relieve him while she could, she took his mus- 
ket from his hand, and stuck it over her old shoulder, and so she marched 
with him, side by side, carrying his musket ; and the boy was so much 
moved by her devotion that the tears literally ran down his cheeks. ' Don't 
cr y — don't cry, my boy,' she said ; ' be brave, and then, with God's blessing, 
all must and will be well.' [Cheers.] So, mothers and wives and sisters 
and daughters of Lancaster, say to your cherished ones, ' Go, go !' It is like 
tearing the heart out of our living and breathing bodies ; it is like enshroud- 
ing our present and future with a gloom that must all the time be felt ; nev- 
ertheless, go and fight these battles of truth and justice and liberty, and 
God's blessing must be upon you and yours. [Applause.] 

" As the last speaker remarked, it is a gloomy hour in our country's his- 
tory ; but I apprehend, my fellow-citizens, that if we look over the events 
of the last fifteen months we will still find reason for thankfulness. Is it 
nothing that that effeminacy which was beginning to curse our citizens has 
met so powerful and sufficient an antidote ? Is it nothing that that spirit of 
insubordination which has been so painfully rife in our happy land, and which 
is, perhaps, one of the very causes of our present troubles, is receiving so ef- 
fectual a check? Is it nothing that our patriotism, which seemed almost 
cold, is to-day burning with a brilliant flame ? That that sentiment, which 
had almost died out, has become a principal passion in the nation's heart ? 
I take it upon myself to say that there have been more acts of moral hero- 
ism in this land within the last fifteen months than in all our history previ- 
ously. [Cheers.] And is all this nothing ? Is it nothing that success from 
time to time has crowned our arms ? Is it nothing that Nashville is ours ? 
Is it nothing that Memphis is ours ? and New Orleans is ours, and Norfolk 
is ours, and Winchester is ours, and the Shenandoah Valley is ours, and that 
Richmond is, we trust and think, soon to be ours ? [Cheers.] Is it noth- 
ing that that flag which we all love so much — and, by the way, I am just 
here reminded of a sentiment of a rebel prisoner, who said to a friend of 
mine, that when they came within sight of the old flag they were very likely 
to feel weak in the knees. [Laughter and applause.] I say, is it nothing 
that that grand old flag on the last Fourth of July floated in every one of 
the thirty-four states ? [Cheers.] Is all that nothing ? [Great applause.] 

" Some of you, perhaps, have heard of a very remarkable iron egg, said 
to be still preserved in the city of Dresden. There is a legend connected 
with this egg, which runs somewhat to this effect : On a certain occasion, a 
prince sent the iron egg to his betrothed. When she received the gift she 



254 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



looked at it, and, becoming entirely disgusted with so rude a present, she 
flung it in disgust upon the ground. As it struck the earth, a secret spring 
was touched, and lo ! a silver yolk rolled forth from the egg. As she gath- 
ered up the yolk, she touched another secret spring, and lo ! a golden chick- 
en was evolved. She took the chicken in both hands, and in doing so she 
touched a secret spring, and lo ! a ruby crown appeared. She touched a 
secret spring in the ruby crown, and lo ! her eyes were blessed with the sight 
of a magnificent marriage diamond ring. So let me remind you that this 
nation from the hand of God's providence seemed to have received an iron 
egg — an egg all crusted with tears and clotted with blood ; but lo ! with the 
dismantling of Sumter a secret spring was touched, and a silver yolk ap- 
peared, which, like a shield of patriotism, spread over all the Northern States 
of this great and glorious Union. A secret spring in this silver yolk of pa- 
triotism was touched, and instead of one golden chicken we have a brood — 
McClellan [cheers], Halleck, Banks, Burnside, Hunter, Foote, Farragut, 
Grant, and Buell, and many others whom I might, and perhaps ought to 
name. [Cheers.] Now these golden chickens are each one bringing a ruby 
crown of victory. McClellan, Yorktown ; Halleck, Corinth ; Banks, Win- 
chester ; Burnside, Roanoke and Newbern ; Grant, Forts Henry and Donel- 
son ; Buell, Shiloh; Foote, Island No. 10 ; and Farragut — not a very pretty 
name, but certainly a very pretty deed — has given us New Orleans. Each 
one has contributed his ruby to make up a great crown of victory, and when 
the secret spring in that crown shall be touched the ring of the Union will 
appear still unbroken, and rendered more beautiful and valuable than ever 
before by the addition of the sparkling diamond of universal liberty. [Tre- 
mendous applause.] 

" ' The cloud is vanishing from the day ; 
Lo ! the right is about to conquer — 
Clear the way !' 

" Men of thought, men of action, clear the way — clear the way ! Our army 
at Harrison's Landing, our country dismembered and bleeding, the cause of 
freedom throughout the world, and God sitting upon the circle of yonder fir- 
mament, are making powerful and resistless calls upon us to do our duty, 
and our whole duty, to our country. [Cheers.]" 

The session of the New York Conference held in the Wash- 
ington Square Church, New York City, was one of marked in- 
terest and solemnity, especially on account of the Report which 
was adopted on the state of the country. One of the members 
of the Conference, Captain Pelatiah Ward, who had volunteered 



LOYALTY OF THE NEW YORK CONFERENCE. 255 

early in the war, had been killed in battle during the past sum- 
mer. He was a generous, valiant man, and much loved by his 
brethren. The President of the United States had issued the 
proclamation of emancipation, the justice and policy of which 
were yet much debated, and the unanimity which at the outbreak 
of the rebellion universally prevailed had become much disturb- 
ed by factious opposition. Mr. Cookman felt it was no time for 
Methodist preachers to mince words, to stickle over questions 
of constitutional nicety, but that the trumpet from them, as lead- 
ers of public opinion, must give a certain sound. He drew up 
the report. Its reading excited the deepest emotion ; thrilling 
speeches were made by leading members of the Conference, 
and with but slight opposition it was adopted amid great ap- 
plause. I give the resolutions : 

"Resolved — 1. That as members and ministers of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church within the bounds of the New York Annual Conference, we 
cheerfully renew our vows of uncompromising and unconditional loyalty to 
the United States of America — a nationality we are proud to acknowledge, 
and resolved, with the blessing of Heaven, to maintain. 

"2. That it is our duty, enforced alike by the Word of God and our Book 
of Discipline, to submit to and to co-operate with the regularly constituted 
civil authorities, and to enjoin the same upon our people. 

" 3. That while we do not deny, but rather recognize and defend, the right 
of our people to discuss the measures and policy of the Government, at the 
same time we would counsel that, in the present critical condition of public 
affairs, this right is to be exercised with great forbearance, caution, and pru- 
dence. 

"4. That the conduct of those who, influenced by political affinities or 
Southern sympathies, and under the pretext of discriminating between the 
Administration and the Government, throw themselves in the path of almost 
every warlike measure, is in our view covert treason, which has the malig- 
nity without the manliness of those who have arrayed themselves in open 
hostility to our liberties, and is deserving of our sternest denunciation and 
our most determined opposition. 

" 5. That slavery is an evil, incompatible in its spirit and practice with 
the principles of Christianity, with republican institutions, with the peace 
and prosperity of our country, and with the traditions, doctrines, and disci- 



256 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN". 



pline of our Church ; and that our long and anxious inquiry, ' What shall 
be done for its extirpation ?' has been singularly answered by divine Provi- 
dence, which has given to Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, 
the power and the disposition to issue a proclamation guaranteeing the boon 
of freedom to millions of Southern bondmen. 

" 6. That we heartily concur in this proclamation as indicating the right- 
eousness of our cause, securing the sympathies of the liberty-loving the 
world over, and, above all, insuring the approbation of the universal Father, 
who is invariably on the side of justice and freedom. 

" 7. That we find abundant reason for gratitude and encouragement in 
the recent revival of the nation's patriotism ; in the maintenance of our pub- 
lic credit ; in the change of public opinion abroad, especially in England ; 
and in the gradual but, we trust, sure progress of our arms. 

" 8. That we cordially accept the President's recommendation to observe 
the thirtieth day of the present month as a season of solemn fasting and 
prayer ; and that, assembling in our various places of worship, we will hum- 
ble ourselves, and earnestly supplicate the great Ruler of nations to forgive 
our national offenses ; to guide, sustain, and bless our public rulers ; to look 
upon our army and navy mercifully, giving success to our arms, so that this 
infamous rebellion may be speedily crushed, and peace, at once righteous 
and permanent, may return to and smile upon our American heritage. 

" 9. That our interest in and sympathy for those who represent us in the 
field continues unabated, and that to all those who are suffering in conse- 
quence of the havoc or desolations of this terrible war, we offer our sincer- 
est sympathies and Christian condolence. 

" 10. That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted to the President of 
the United States, and that they be published in the Christian Advocate and 
Journal." 

It was such action as this on the part of the Methodist min- 
isters, sustained by the laymen for whom and to whom they 
spoke, both at the ballot-box and on the battle-field, that led 
Mr. Lincoln to say that no Church had done so much to sup- 
port the Government in its efforts to maintain the Union as the 
Methodist ministers and people. It was not a little due to Mr. 
Cookman that the declaration of the New York Conference, 
representing a large popular sentiment in the commercial heart 
of the nation, assumed a shape so positive and incisive. It was 
but the emanation of his own convictions. 



THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERHOOD. 



257 



The pastorate of Mr. Cookman closed at the Central Church 
with the universal regret of its members. The young people 
had become ardently attached to him. He had taken especial 
pains to draw together and render efficient the young men of 
the congregation, and for this purpose had organized among 
them a society called the " Christian Brotherhood," which held 
regular meetings for business, religious, social, and literary ex- 
ercises, and also took general supervision of the young men 
who attended the Church services. This society was pleased 
to express their appreciation of their retiring pastor by passing 
resolutions which are valuable as a tribute to him and as a 
hint to other ministers : 

"Whereas, Rev. Alfred Cookman, our late pastor, has, in the economy 
of our Church, been transferred to another field of labor — 

"Resolved, That we remember with great pleasure our relations during 
the term of his pastorate, and that we deem his unusual interest in our As- 
sociation, and continued efforts to promote its prosperity, as worthy of par- 
ticular mention and record. 

"Resolved, That to his regular attendance upon our meetings, his court- 
eous yet earnest participation in our discussions, his evident anxiety that 
our organization should prove of the highest benefit to the Church, and his 
constant endeavor for this result, is due much of its prosperity and useful- 
ness. 

"Resolved, That upon retrospect of the term of Brother Cookman's serv- 
ice, we are led to believe that the pastors of our churches would add greatly 
to the effectiveness of their labors by more fully interesting themselves in 
the established meetings and organizations of their charges ; as an active 
sympathy in concerns already enlisting the sympathies of their people must 
afford opportunity not otherwise enjoyed of learning their dispositions and 
peculiarities, of securing a place in their affections, and of gaining confi- 
dence, respect, and influence, as also, by counsel and co-operation, of pro- 
moting wiser action and developing wider results. 

"Resolved, That the name of Rev. Alfred Cookman be placed upon the 
list of honorary members of this Brotherhood." 



CHAPTER XV. 



TRINITY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, NEW YORK. — THE ARMY 
OF THE POTOMAC AND THE CHRISTIAN COMMISSION. 

Mr. Cookman was next appointed, in the spring of 1863, to 
the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church on West Thirty-fourth 
Street. Here his ministry proved highly acceptable and use- 
ful. The congregations were never larger than while he was 
pastor, and there were many valuable accessions to the Church. 
There are some persons still connected with Trinity, and some 
belonging to other churches in the city, who were the fruits of 
his fidelity at this time, and who are among the most useful 
and active Christians in New York. The savor of his piety 
diffused itself rapidly through all the departments of the sta- 
tion. He established a service on Friday afternoons, under 
his personal control, for the advancement of Christian purity, 
and succeeded in gathering to it many of the earnest lovers of 
holiness within his own charge, and some beyond it. These 
meetings were very helpful to the piety of the Church, and 
were instrumental in bringing not a few into the clearer light 
of perfect love. In their use his personal religious experience 
was also greatly enriched, and his ministry correspondingly 
nourished. 

The most marked event of this pastoral term was Mr. Cook- 
man's visit to the Army of the Potomac on special service un- 
der the direction of the Christian Commission. He showed 
himself ready not only to talk sacrifice, but to go to the front, 
that he might cheer, in the capacity of minister and brother, 
the hearts of the valiant and exposed soldiers. The best epit- 



SERVICE OF THE CHRISTIAN COMMISSION. 



259 



ome of his thoughts and doings while thus engaged is fur- 
nished in his letters written to friends at home. The Sanitary 
and Christian Commissions, organized for the relief of the sol- 
diers of the United States, in addition to what was done for 
them directly by the Government, were sustained wholly by the 
voluntary offerings of the people, and constituted in their work 
one of the brightest features of the war. Never before was 
stern suffering so alleviated by the tenderer aspects of Chris- 
tian and humane sentiment. The benevolence of the country 
rose in a majesty and beauty which signally contrasted with the 
dark clouds of fratricidal conflict. The Christian Commission 
aimed not only to extend to the fainting warrior the delica- 
cies which the body and mind so much needed, but also, and 
chiefly, the Word of Life — in the shape of Bibles, good books, 
tracts, preaching, and pastoral visitation. It drafted for its oc- 
casional services ministers and laymen of the first talents; and 
the good it accomplished, while abundantly attested in the 
records of its history, can not be fully known until all earthly 
accounts are written up. 
To his wife : 

"Washington, Saturday night, 1864. 
* * * " Not for a single moment have I faltered in my faith that this path 
which I am walking has been appointed by my faithful Heavenly Father. 
Oh ! how unspeakably precious He has been' since we parted yesterday 
morning. I am leaning on His almighty arm, and feel assured that all will 
be well. Every thing is transpiring just as I could desire. In the New 
York train I found Dr. Stryker, my neighbor ; Mr. McAllister, Sr., of Har- 
risburg; and Mr. Chidlaw, who has been in the employ of the Christian 
Commission. The time passed quickly. 

" Reaching Philadelphia, I dined with Mr. George H. Stuart, who was en- 
thusiastically affectionate and attentive; purchased many needful articles, etc. 
Proceeding to George's, I rather surprised them with my visit and mission, 
and spent a most delightful evening in their society. This morning left 
Philadelphia at eight o'clock ; found friends in the car ; traveled without in- 
terruption ; had about two hours in Baltimore, but owing to a chafed foot, 
which was quite painful, could not visit friends. Left about half-past three ; 



260 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



found some friends in the car again (Pittsburgh friends) ; arrived in Wash- 
ington about half-past five. To-night I am with my old friend Scott. We 
supped and will sleep together. To-morrow I preach for the Fourteenth 
New Hampshire Regiment, and on Monday morning, with my friends Hat- 
field and Watkins, start for the front. The Christian Commission show us 
every attention. They are evidently anxious to make a good impression on 
our minds, that, like the spies, we may take back a 'good report.' 

" Do not give yourself any anxiety about me. I will try to be careful for 
your sake. Whenever I can I will drop you a line. As I suggested when 
with you, if necessary, telegraph to Ebenezer Scott, No. 393 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, who can communicate immediately, through the Commission, with 
the army. If you write before you hear from me again, direct to the care 
of E. Scott, Box 285 (a new number). My friend is waiting for me, and I 
must close. Tired as I am, I feel as if I could thus communicate with my 
darling wife for an hour longer. Pray for me. Oh ! I do so much want to 
be useful in the work to which I am going. My soul to-night is sweetly 
reposing in God. ' He is my song and my shield.' " 

To his wife : 

"Washington, Saturday night, 10 o'clock. 

" You will not object to a short note, I am sure. I am finishing my first 
Sabbath in the service of the Christian Commission. This morning I pro- 
ceeded, according to arrangement, to the camp or barracks of the First New 
Hampshire. To our surprise and disappointment, we found that they had 
suddenly left the night before. Part of another regiment, however, had come 
in, and the proposition was for us to preach to them in the afternoon. There- 
upon I hastened to Wesley Chapel, and heard a masterly sermon on the 
subject of the Transfiguration from my friend B. Peyton Brown ; met any 

number of old friends ; yielded to the pressing invitation of Mrs. T , and 

accompanied her home to dinner. 

" After dinner Brother Scott called, and we proceeded again to the camp 
of the First Maine. The men were drawn up in a hollow square. It was 
a magnificent spectacle. They appeared in full dress uniform and under 
arms, accompanied by a brass band. Surrounded by a large company of 
Washingtonians, I held forth the Word of Life. It was an open-air service, 
and consequently very exhausting. Nevertheless I got through comfort- 
ably. The men were solemn and attentive, and I trust good was done. 
After the service I distributed some papers and hymn-books, and seized the 
opportunity to converse religiously with a number of the soldiers. With 
Brother Charles Lane, my first class-leader, I then went home to tea. Oh, 
how very, very cordial he was. I praise my Heavenly Father for his friendship 



ARMY EXPERIENCES. 



26l 



and love. At seven I went to the Armory Square Hospital, and preached 
to a chapel full of soldiers. Never have I addressed a more attentive or ap- 
parently interested company of men. They hung on every syllable. At 
the close about twenty rose for prayers. The power of the Highest rested 
upon the assemblage. We sung 'Going home,' 'Marching along,' 'Rest 
for the weary oh, how the noble boys poured out the tide of song ! I 
thought while I was preaching to them, many a faithful mother and sister 
are pouring out their souls in earnest prayer for their absent sons and 
brothers. God gave me their hearts, and the chaplain is clamorous for me 
to remain and labor among them during the present week. I leave the de- 
termination of this to that faithful God whose I am and whom I serve. 

" This ends my first day of labor. Glory to God to-night for his mercy 
shown the very feeblest of all his messengers. Oh, how my soul trusts and 
rejoices in the God and rock of my salvation ! To-morrow I move, as a good 
soldier of Jesus, just where my Captain directs. My foot has been very sore, 
obliging me to limp in walking; still I have not been hindered in any de- 
partment of work. Remember me to all friends. Ask my people to pray 
for their absent pastor, that God will own and bless his humble labors in 
behalf of our brave soldiers. Kiss my children for papa. Tell dear moth- 
er and sister Mary, and John and sister M , to remember me specially 

before God, and believe me yours devotedly." 

To his wife : 

"Brandy Station, at the Front, February 29, 1864. 

" Here I am at the front, within a few miles of General Lee's army, and 
yet as calm as a summer's eve. We left Washington this morning about 
ten o'clock, and, after a most interesting ride of seventy miles, reached our 
place of destination at half-past two this afternoon. The country through 
which we passed wears an air of desolation, which was dismal to contem- 
plate ; no fences, no houses, no cultivation whatever, only the debris of de- 
stroyed property and continuous camps of soldiers. By my side in the car 

sat a Captain C , of Camden, New Jersey, who has been connected with 

the army since the commencement of the war. He was very kind and com- 
municative, pointing out the scenes of several battles, and calling attention 
to various points of interest. 

" My companions in the service of the Commission, Brothers Hatfield and 
Watkins, were very fraternal and pleasant. Arriving at Brandy Station, we 
found our head-quarters quite near, an ordinary camp-meeting tent, with a 
front and rear apartment. Here we have our bunks for sleeping, rather 
rough, but better almost than I had expected. Our commissary prepared 



262 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



our dinner. When we sat down we could not restrain immoderate laugh- 
ter. It was primitive truly. Tin cups for chocolate, tin plates, the brown- 
est sugar, and no butter. However, we got along gloriously. My pre- 
cious little George would have enjoyed it, for there was plenty of good 
molasses to eat with our bread. The meal dispatched we sallied forth, and 
spent an hour very pleasantly in the contraband camp, which is quite near. 
As the Commission can not give us work until to-morrow, we arranged for 
a meeting to-night among the colored people. There is an Uncle Ben and 
an Uncle Dick who are represented as most interesting characters. We 
have just dispatched our supper — tin cups and plates, of course, but some 
butter and beef-steak — a right good meal. I have made up my mind to my 
circumstances, and hope to enjoy and profit by them. 

" My friend Scott was very kind in completing my outfit. I think I have 
every thing needful for one in my circumstances. My only trial now is my 
absence from my family. I think of you very frequently, and ask my Heav- 
enly Father to watch over and preserve you all. My mind is still kept in 
perfect peace. God opens my way, and strengthens and comforts me as I 
walk in that way. Blessed be His name. The brethren are hurrying me to 
accompany them to the negro meeting. Tell the Friday-afternoon meeting 
to pray for me specially." 

To his wife : 

" Camp Sixth N. Y. Heavy Artillery, March 2, 1864. 
" Will you not confess that I am a faithful army correspondent ? I be- 
lieve that I have written every day since we parted. Yesterday we were 
confined at Brandy Station by the storm. It was one of the most dismal 
days I ever witnessed. Shut up in our tent, letter-writing was an agreeable 
pastime. This morning I rose after a good night's rest to look forth upon 
a cloudless sky ; but the mud — oh, the mud ! I now better understand the 
difficulty of army movements. The passage of army wagons (of which there 
is no end) and heavy artillery is almost entirely interrupted by the condition 
of the soil. 

" This morning I visited head -quarters, and had a most agreeable interview 
with General Meade. He received us very politely, invited us into his tent, 
bade us be seated, and chatted very familiarly and kindly. His photographs 
are very good ; perhaps they give the impression of a larger and more rug- 
ged man than the original. His recent illness has left him thin, but he pro- 
fesses to be enjoying excellent health at the present. A care-worn expres- 
sion lingers round his face ; but is this wonderful when we consider the bur- 
den of care which rests upon his patriotic heart ? He impressed me with 




RELIGIOUS WORK IN THE ARMY. 



263 



his gentlemanly bearing and kind spirit, rather than with his superior sol- 
dierly appearance. We called at the same time on General Patrick, who is 
one of the notabilities here, occupying the position of Provost Marshal of 
this division of the army. He is an intelligent, affable, and interesting man. 
I have reached my field of labor. The N. Y. Sixth Heavy Artillery num- 
bers about 1300 men. Besides these there are New York, Connecticut, and 
Massachusetts batteries, and the ammunition trains, all around us, number- 
ing together 3000 or 4000 men. Here, then, I am to toil for their advantage. 
It is not exactly the place I would have chosen for myself, nevertheless it 
may be the right place. When it was mentioned to me, I did not dare to 
murmur or remonstrate, for I have put myself in God's hands, and, without 
any agency of my own, want to see what He proposes to do with me during 
my sojourn at the front. 

" The soldiers are in winter-quarters — log huts covered with canvas. The 
officers' quarters are exceedingly tasty and comfortable : little homes that 
would not disfigure Central Park. Many of them have their wives here, 
and seem disposed to enjoy life while it lasts. To visit the men in their 
tents, converse with them, etc., etc., will occupy most of my time. A little 
while ago I walked over to look at the battery of the N. Y. Fifth Heavy Ar- 
tillery. A young lieutenant whom I providentially met was singularly po- 
lite and kind — escorting me to various points of interest, showing me all the 
appurtenances of their heavy Parrot guns, etc. I was careful to introduce 
the subject of religion, and was delighted to find him respectful and tender. 
How is my dear wife this afternoon ? I have not as yet heard a word from 
home. I suppose that my correspondence will almost necessarily be a good 
deal interrupted. Our quarters here are considerably rougher than they 
were at Brandy Station ; but never mind, they are better than I deserve." 

To his wife : 

" Head-quarters of Reserve Artillery, March 3, 1864. 

" I am sitting in our chapel tent, which is used by the soldiers during the 
day as a kind of reading-room. They find here books, papers, with all the 
necessary articles for penning letters, etc. It is very thoughtful and kind 
in the Christian Commission to furnish them with these conveniences. 

" Last night I commenced operations in this vicinity, preaching to a com- 
pany of soldiers who crowded our chapel tent. They were very attentive, 
and thirteen rose for prayers. I have appointed an inquiry* and experience 
meeting for this afternoon, and expect to preach again to-night. I say 
' expect,' for every thing in an army is very uncertain. Owing to the soft 
condition of the soil, the corps of heavy artillery, especially, will hardly be 



264 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



able to move for a number of weeks, and yet as I write the roar of cannon 
fills my ears. It may be only target-practice, or it may be the commence- 
ment of an engagement ; most probably the former. Do not at any time be 
alarmed about me. I am led by infinite wisdom, defended by infinite pow- 
er, comforted by infinite love. I do not allow myself to live in the future, 
for three weeks would seem long, but a day at a time I try to do my work, 
looking unto Jesus. 

"Our accommodations are not even what we had at Brandy Station. 
Our tent is about ten feet square. In that little space we do our cooking 
and sleeping. The former is supervised by a superannuated soldier, who 
does the best he can. The sleeping was decidedly cold last night. I had 
t i withdraw my nose from the air, which was full of frost, and roll myself 
up in a coil or bundle, to make all the animal heat available. Even then I 
spent some sleepless hours through chilliness. I do not repeat these things 
by way of complaint — nay, I am too good a soldier for that. This is only a 
reference to the seasoning process I am undergoing. I feel very well to- 
day, and hope, with the blessing of God, to endure hardness, and then re- 
turn to you in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of peace. Give my 
love to my dear people. Tell them to pray for me very specially." 

To his wife : 

" Reserve Artillery, March 4, 1864. 

" A few moments before dinner will afford me an opportunity to pen you 
a short letter. This, I am sure, will not be unwelcome. It is now one 
week since I left you. I am not sorry the week is gone, for, Providence 
favoring, I am that much nearer my loved home. To-day it is blustering, 
raw, disagreeable ; most probably the herald of another storm. Last even- 
ing we had even a larger crowd of soldiers than the night previous. They 
were deeply serious. Six or seven rose for prayers. I trust that good in- 
fluences are at work. We followed the sermon with a prayer-meeting. 
Four prayers were offered ; two of them by lieutenants of the regiment — no- 
ble fellows. Tattoo sounds at eight o'clock, at which time the roll is called, 
and the soldiers are required to go to their tents. This, of course, limits 
our services. If we had another hour, say till nine, I have no doubt it 
would be for the advantage of all concerned. 

" Another disadvantage is the godlessness of the officers ; that is, most of 
them, for there are a few honorable exceptions. Last night they had a reg- 
ular ball in the camp, which was attended by their wives and sisters. The 
festivities were protracted until a late hour, for one of my last remembrances 
was the strains of music. I slept very comfortably last night, piled on the 



TESTIMONY OF CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS. 



265 



coats and shawls, made myself warm, and got through the night in a refresh- 
ing way. This afternoon I propose to ride on horseback over to Brandy 
Station and find my correspondence, for up to this hour I have not heard 
a word from home. 

" Tell sister M that I am waiting upon God ; sitting with a teachable 

spirit at the feet of Him who has said, ' Learn of me.' I want to be instruct- 
ed in the deep things of God, and furnished unto every good word and every 
good work. I surrender myself into the care of my infinitely wise and pow- 
erful Father, trusting that He will lead me into usefulness and truth, plenty 
and peace. I am sure He will ; but it is sometimes a trial to walk blindly, 
not knowing the how or the wherefore. Bless His holy name, there is noth- 
ing, so far as I am aware, between Him and myself, and I trust momentarily 
and sweetly in the merit of Jesus Christ my Lord. Kiss my children for 
their absent papa. I shall be delighted to clasp them in my arms again. 
Love to all. They are calling me for dinner." 

To his wife : 

"Head-quarters Reserve Artillery, March 5, 1864. 

" After writing to you yesterday, I borrowed the horse of one of the cap- 
tains, and had a delightful ride over to Brandy Station. I thought of my 
boys, and wished that they might be here for a little while to enjoy the priv- 
ilege of galloping over the Virginia fields. At Brandy Station I found a let- 
ter in waiting, the one you sent by the hand of sister M to Philadelphia, 

and while I tarried the cars arrived, bringing another written on Tuesday 
evening. Thank you kindly for these affectionate epistles. They come like 
angel visitants. I need not say that they were read and re-read. I was sorry 
to hear of the continued illness of the children ; perhaps by this time they 
are all better. Leaving them in the care of our faithful Heavenly Father, I 
feel assured that He will order all things well. Remember that if their ill- 
ness is serious or dangerous, you must at once telegraph for me. Parting 
with sister and little ' Streak of Sunshine ' must have been another trial for 
you. That boy Will would be the life and light of any home. 

"Last night I preached again to a company of soldiers that entirely 
crowded the tent. I trust that seed was sown in their hearts which will 
speedily appear in the form of fruit. After the service was over, and all 
were gone, I sat in my tent reading ; while thus engaged the curtain was 
drawn aside, and a soldier entering, glided to my side. ' Chaplain,' said he, 
' I can not rest — can not sleep — I must have relief. Won't you pray for me ?' 
* Oh yes, soldier,' said I, 'most gladly ;' and after preaching unto him Jesus, 
we kneeled clown together, and I poured out my soul in prayer for his speedy 

M 



266 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



salvation. These facts are my inspiration and encouragement during this 
time of exile from home. 

"Last night I rested rather comfortably ; my shawl makes a good pillow, 
and my overcoat, thrown over my blanket, contributes to the warmth of my 
bed. To-day it is raining again ; most probably this will prove a repetition 
of last Tuesday's storm. Softening this Virginia soil, these rains will oblige 
the army to remain where it is. In my experience I am panting for more of 
Kiod, more of His truth, more of His holiness, more of His power ; 1 hunger- 
ing and thirsting' expresses my feelings at this time. Oh ! I want to return 
home in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of peace." 

To his wife : 

"Artillery Reserve, March 7, 1S64. 

" My last letter was written on Saturday. In the evening of that day we 
had an experience-meeting ; I would have given almost any thing to have 
had you present. The testimonies of Christian soldiers melted my heart to 
tenderness, and my head was literally a fountain of tears. One and another 
spoke affectionately of pious and praying mothers. A noble Ohio soldier 
said, ' When I left my home, a dear, kind sister gave me that little Testament' 
(drawing the book from his side-pocket and holding it up). ' I had not been 
a member of the army long, before I realized I must have a friend. Who 
should be my friend ? I opened my little Testament and read of Jesus. 
Oh ! what a friend He has been to me. This book has been a great comfort 
to me in my absence from home. It is full of sweet promises. One is, " In 
my Father's house are many mansions," etc. If I fall on the battle-field, I 
believe I shall go to occupy my mansion in the everlasting kingdom of God.' 

" But I can not begin to tell you all. It was one of the hours of nry life. 
Twelve or fifteen rose for prayers, and all testified ' It is good to be here.' 
Yesterday I preached in the afternoon, and again in the evening. The in- 
terest is constantly on the increase. Last night the tent was packed, and 
numbers went away unable to get in. Men rose in even- direction asking 
our prayers. Some came to me after the meeting, and with unrestrained 
tears said, 1 Chaplain, pray for me.' The Christian men of the regiment 
and batteries are in the best of spirits, while the outsiders are evidently in- 
terested and impressed. Some are insisting that I shall accept the chap- 
laincy of the regiment, and march with them during the approaching sum- 
mer ; but this is not practicable. I am sitting at the Master's feet, anxious 
to know His will concerning me. Lord ! teach me and lead me, is my con- 
stant prayer. I enjoy the divine presence more in preaching than at any 
other time. I am waiting for revelations of God beyond any thing I have 
ever experienced. 



ARMY DISCOMFORTS. — GRAND REVIEW. 



267 



" The discomforts of my present situation will make me appreciate and 
enjoy the advantages of my home when I return. For the last two days we 
have been smoked out. The wind has driven the smoke down the pipe of 
our little stove, making it almost impossible to breathe. When I would rest 
upon the bed, I have been obliged to cover my face with my handkerchief, and 
breathe through the linen. This morning the wind has shifted again, and we 
get along better. My foot is still pretty sore, preventing me from walking 
far ; but I do not suffer much, and get along very well. To-day we are to 
have a grand review of this division of the army. The weather is pleasant, 
and I suppose it will be a grand affair. I wish my boys could witness it." 

To his wife : 

"Sixth New York Heavy Artillery, March 8, 1864. 

" Yesterday was a great day. It brought me thwe letters from my darling- 
wife — no, two from yourself and one from George — that was it. Didn't I 
devour them — roll them over and over as a sweet morsel, extract the mean- 
ing and sweetness of every sentence. They were a rich feast for my hungry 
heart. I am thankful that you continue well, though I was sorry to hear 
of any neuralgia twinges. If my wishes could govern, you should not have 
an ache or a pain. Yesterday we had a grand review of the Artillery Re- 
serve. It was very fine. The appearance and evolutions of the troops 
equal any thing I have ever seen. The soldiers in their costume do not 
present that shabby appearance I had anticipated. The colonel is one of 
the most tasteful of men, and one of the strictest of officers. Consequently 
every thing shines, even to boots. The regiment yesterday might have 
marched up Broadway alongside of your famous Seventh. 

" In the evening I preached to another crowd. Large numbers rose again 
for prayer. I trust that God's spirit is actively at work in the minds and 
hearts of the soldiers. If we had the co-operation of the officers, I think we 
would have a sweeping and blessed revival ; but they hold themselves aloof 
from the men, and are altogether too great to stoop to the consideration of 
any thing so insignificant as personal religion. I am myself waiting on God, 
not making that rapid headway in personal experience that I had antici- 
pated — not losing, but concerned to learn those lessons it is so important for 
me to know. Respecting the Bible money, you will take that, as I wished 

you to take the six dollars for Mrs. , out of the benevolent drawer — the 

drawer underneath, that draws out. How lonely you must feel without sister 
and Will. Do you wish me to call for them on my return ? I would be 
glad if you would send me the Advocate, Methodist, and Independent. We 
do not get them here until they are about ten days or two weeks old." 



268 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



To his wife : 

" Sixth New York Heavy Artillery, March 9, 1S64. 

"Yesterday, I believe, is the first week-day that I have failed to write to 
you since our separation. The reason was a jaunt to Culpepper Court- 
house, distant about ten or twelve miles. I started in the morning about 
ten o'clock, called at Brandy Station (but found no letters), pushed on to 
Culpepper, which I reached a little after twelve. This has been quite an 
important Virginia town. Some of the houses are respectable, but, like all 
Southern villages, and especially those that have been ravaged by war, it has 
an untasteful and dilapidated look. The soldiers have been very rude. 
Only one of a number of churches is fit for occupancy. I met with some 
friends and enjoyed my visit. About half-past two I started back, making 
a little detour from the road, and calling at the house of Hon. John Minor 
Botts. He is faithful among the faithless. A member of Congress when 
father was chaplain, he remembered father, and this fact secured me a warm 
welcome. Leaving his comfortable mansion (the only one I have seen in 
the Old Dominion), I reached my present quarters about half-past four. 

" The horseback ride of twenty-two miles left me wretchedly stiff and 
sore. Nevertheless I preached in the evening. The Spirit of the Lord 
seemed to rest upon the soldiers. Upward of twelve rose for prayers, and 
the meeting which followed was spirited and profitable. The night before 
we had an experience-meeting. It was glorious. One old soldier said, 'I 
was converted in 1843 > ran we ^ unt il ^ joined the army. Then I began to 
lose ground. Like Peter, I denied my Lord, and, soldiers, I do not know 
but in some instances, like Feter, I blasphemed. I said bad words. I came 
to this meeting. In this tent God found me as he found Adam in the gar- 
den. He said, " Soldier, where art thou ?" Like Adam, I thought to hide 
myself. I tried to get away. No use. Now I stand up, make this humble 
confession, and ask you to pray for me.' A number profess to have expe- 
rienced religion within the last few days, and still the work goes on. The 
Christian Commission is the Church in the army. And though it may be 
attended with sacrifice, all patriotic parties ought to be willing to take their 
turn in serving the Church." 

To his wife : 

"Sixth New York Heavy Artillery, ) 
Friday morning, March 11, 1864. S 
" I have been writing this morning a letter to a wife who resides at Gar- 
rison Station, on the line of the Hudson River Railroad. Last night her 
husband was powerfully converted. The case is a thrillingly interesting 



SOLDIERS AWAKENED AND CONVERTED. 



269 



one. Two weeks since he tore himself from a dear, pious, and faithful wife 
and three beloved children. His companion remonstrated with tears in her 
eyes. Still he enlisted. 

"After great hardship he reached this camp on Wednesday morning. In 
the evening he came to the tent. The preached Word affected his heart, 
and he rose for prayer. All day yesterday he was a subject of powerful 
awakening. ■ Last evening, during our experience-meeting, he rose up (a 
noble-looking man), and, with tears raining down his cheeks, said, ' Oh, fel- 
low-soldiers, how much I want to be saved. All day I have been wrestling 
with conviction. - Now I yield — I yield, I can hold out no more. I am re- 
solved to seek and serve God. Oh, won't you please to pray for me.' I 
dropped on my knees, and poured out my soul in importunate pleading. 
All the soldiers were wonderfully interested and engaged. Prayer finished, 
the soldier rose again and said, ' Fellow-soldiers, I must tell you ; I believe 
God has heard and answered prayer. The love of Jesus is shed abroad in 
my heart. ' I am happy in God. I came to be a soldier of the nation — now 
I am in addition a soldier of Jesus. When we were coming here, very many 
of our company were sorry that they had enlisted; but oh ! if you will enlist 
in the service of Jesus you will never be sorry.' Thereupon another soldier 
sprang upon his feet and said, ' I will enlist to-night. Two of my children 
are in heaven. I want to meet them there, and I intend to march with that 
dear man. Hear, fellow-soldiers, I enlist to-night.' I can give you no idea 
of the meeting. It was wonderful — glorious — surpassed any thing I ever 
witnessed. My own soul was richly baptized. I lay down on my bed with 
a heart melting in gratitude before God. 

" Yesterday was one of the stormiest I ever saw. It rained violently 
and blew fearfully. I thought again and again our tent must be prostrated. 
God, however, watched over us, and at the close of the day we were liv- 
ing to praise Him. This morning it is foggy and misty. The wind still lin- 
gers in the northeast. I am sustained by the conviction that I am in the line 
of duty, and God strengthens and blesses me. When the time comes to 
return home, I will feel great joy in turning my face and directing my steps 
to the dearest spot on earth to me. How are you this morning, my darling 
Annie ? and how are my beloved children ? If I had the ' wishing cap ' or 
the ' seven-league boots,' I would know all about you in a little while. Our 
omnipresent and omnipotent Father watches between us while we are ab- 
sent one from another. Blessed be His name. Give the children three 
kisses apiece for papa. Remember me affectionately to all relatives and 

friends. Tell sister M to pray on. God hears and is answering her 

prayers. Ask all my friends to remember me at a throne of grace." 



270 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



To his wife : 

" Sixth N. Y. Heavy Artillery, Saturday, March 12, 1864. 

" We have had a long, dismal rain-storm. Yesterday we had in the morn- 
ing a regular northeast drizzle ; in the afternoon and evening most violent 
thunder-showers. This weather has shut us up in pur tents, and left the 
country around in a most terrible condition. The streams are swollen to 
twice or thrice their original size, while the soil is stirred in its depths. I 
think there is a good deal of solicitude at Washington respecting an ad- 
vance of the army ; but while the roads are in their present condition the 
troops must almost necessarily continue stationary. This will harmonize 
with the views of the soldiers, who, from previous experience, seem to dread 
exposure, especially lying out, at this uncertain season of the year. If they 
remain in winter-quarters ten days longer, it will include my term of service, 
and leave me free to return home without the necessity of accompanying 
them in their proposed marches. I think, however, any movement of the 
army now would be a sufficient reason why I, with only a few days of fur- 
lough* remaining, should retire from the front. 

" This morning the sun shines brightly, and the air is as balmy as the 
breath of May. I am quite well, barring a little rheumatism in my shoulders, 
which makes it difficult to get my coat off and on. My foot has been giving 
me a good deal of trouble. For two weeks it has been discharging more or 
less. I consulted the surgeon of the regiment ; he gave me some lint and 
plaster, which I think did not do it much good. Some salve I am using 
now seems to be healing it up. 

" Our meetings yesterday were delightful. In the afternoon it was a prayer 
and experience meeting ; at night I preached on the subject of forgiveness 
of sins. The attendance was large and the interest unabated. Large num- 
bers rose for prayers. One new convert got up last night and exhorted his 
fellow-soldiers powerfully. After this he prayed with great tenderness and 
unction. I realize in my own experience great nearness to the Saviour. 
Oh, what would I do without the love and fellowship of Jesus ! Just now an 
old soldier brings into our little tent a box he has received from home. Open- 
ing it for pa — apples, chickens, preserves, eggs, cakes, etc. Noble fellow ! he 
is insisting that we shall help ourselves. He would be glad if we would 
take half that he has. Perfectly delighted, he says, ' Ain't it nice !' ' How 
thoughtful and kind are my family at home.' Oh ! what a glorious thing it is 
to be kind and generous and noble. So I have filled up my daily epistle. 
To-morrow is the Sabbath of the Lord. Oh, that it may prove the best day 
of my life !" 



* From his Church. 



PHYSICAL CONDITION AND MINISTERIAL SUCCESS. 2 7 1 



To the Rev. John E. Cookman : 

"Artillery Reserve, Army of the Potomac, March 17, 1864. 

" The blessed Bible resting on my knee constitutes my desk or table, and, 
in the absence of pen and ink, you will be satisfied with pencilmanship. I 
am getting along right well in my spring campaign. Excepting these sick- 
ening rheumatic aches I sometimes have in my arms and shoulders, keeping 
me awake all night, I have been blessed with uninterrupted health. Occa- 
sionally I get a horse and have a glorious ride. If you could see me dart- 
ing over these Virginia hills, you would think of an aid-de-camp of General 
Meade, or perhaps one of Kilpatrick's cavalry in citizen's dress. I did not 
know I could ride so well. 

" My letters come irregularly. More than a week has elapsed since I heard 
from home. But for Mary's sweet, affectionate letter yesterday, I should be 
tempted to believe some one is ill. I have written enough to you for the 
present, as I must take a little space for my sister. Thank you a thousand 
times for your affectionate letter." 

To his sister, Miss Mary Cookman : 

"March 17, 1864. 

" I do not know what I should have done yesterday but for your tender 
and more than welcome letter. Not having heard from home for some 
days, I procured a horse and rode like a courier to Brandy Station, confident 
of a budget. But for your kind consideration, I should have suffered a great 
disappointment. Your gentle words and sisterly assurances satisfied the 
want, and I cantered back more leisurely to my temporary home in this Vir- 
ginia wilderness. 

" In my letter to John I have written of my physical welfare. Let me tell 
you of my spiritual condition and ministerial success. God keeps my soul 
in peace. When I walk these hills alone, I feel I am not alone. My Heav- 
enly Father vouchsafes me His presence, and I am allowed precious com- 
munion with Himself. Oh, what would I do in my exile and loneliness if I 
had not the love of Jesus and the fellowship of the Spirit. Our meetings 
are still largely attended and decidedly interesting. Every night there are 
some new cases of awakening and conversion. On Tuesday evening, be- 
sides a number who rose for prayers, four noble soldiers stood upon their 
feet, confessed their sinfulness, expressed their purpose to do better, and 
asked the prayers of all present ; two of them professed to find Jesus before 
the close of the meeting. Oh, how much I wish you could enjoy one of our 
experience-meetings. Last night an old regular in the United States service 



272 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



rose, and with a face illumined with celestial sunshine, he told of his love 
for Jesus and his hope of heaven. 

"My labors in the field are nearly concluded. Next Monday, God will- 
ing, I shall start for Washington, then home again. My home and ift rela- 
tions never seemed more attractive or lovely than now. How much I praise 
God that the lines have fallen unto me in such pleasant places. May I say 
that your sweet love and sisterly devotion are highly appreciated and fully 
reciprocated by your unworthy brother. I feel that I do not deserve the 
confidence and affection with which my kindred and friends seem to regard 
me. This, with all my other blessings, is of the Lord, and to Him shall be 
the praise and glory. Now I must close. Receive the assurance of the un- 
dying love of your brother." 

To his mother, Mrs. Mary Cookman : 

"March 17, 1864. 

"Last, but not least, my long letter would not be complete if you were 
overlooked, but that is farthest from my thoughts. You have been with the 
Army of the Potomac for nearly three weeks — not in person, but in the af- 
fectionate remembrance, aye, enshrined in the heart of your eldest child. I 
am delighted to know that you are maternally watching over my precious 
ones at home. Take good care of them, and, with the blessing of God, we 
will soon resume our pleasant associations in New York. Believe me your 
devotedly attached son." 

To his sons, Bruner, George, and Frank : 

" Artillery Reserve, March 19, 1864. 

" This is your letter from your papa. A little rough stool is my table, 
but it does almost as well as my study desks. How very often I think 
about you, my dear boys. When I see the soldiers drawn up in their even- 
ing parade and hear the drums beat, then I think about you and wish you 
were here to look upon these stirring scenes. When I get astride of a nice 
horse I think about you, and wish you were here to have a ride. When I 
lie upon my blanket at night I think about you, and pray our kind Heavenly 
Father to take good care of you during my absence. 

"Yesterday afternoon we had a great '■scare.'' Word came that the reb- 
els were advancing upon us. Sure enough, they were crossing the Rapidan 
River, the dividing line between the two armies. Orders came from head- 
quarters to be ready to march at a moment's notice. Accordingly the sol- 
diers packed their knapsacks, filled their haversacks with three days' rations, 
and for a while all was excitement. Pa thought he was in for it, but in God 



RETURNS FROM THE ARMY. 



273 



was his trust. About seven o'clock the order to march was recalled. This 
morning the regiment is all ready. While I write fighting is going on. We 
can distinctly hear the cannons roar in the distance. Pa had almost made 
up his mind to leave this morning for Washington, but he thought, - No, Mon- 
day is my time, and I will wait and trust in my Heavenly Father, who has 
always taken such good care of me.' How blessed it is, my boys, to love 
God and feel that He loves us. Then we are safe any where. I want you all 
to be good, and then all will be well. 

"How sorry I was to hear of the accident which befell your little friend 

M S . Almost killed ! How near he went to heaven or to hell ! 

I hope the former, for I trust he is trying, and now will try more than ever 
to be good. I want my boys to give God their hearts, so that if they sud- 
denly die we may be able to say that they have certainly gone to heaven. 
Tell your precious mamma that I received a letter from her yesterday after- 
noon. Oh, how glad I was to get it ! Tell your dear grandma, too, how 
much obliged I am for her sweet letter. Will you be glad to see me again ? 
Pa feels as if he would give all of this State of Virginia to be with his family 
again. If all is well, I hope this time next Saturday to sit down in No. 263 
West Thirty -fourth Street. But if the Rebels should get me, it will only be 
a little longer. Let us pray our Heavenly Father, if He wills, to prevent this. 
Now, after you read this letter, go every one of you and give mamma one of 
your sweetest kisses, and tell her that it is straight from pa. Then go to lit- 
tle Beck and little Mamy, and give them each a nice kiss ; then kiss one 

another, then kiss sister M , then grandma, aunt Mary, and uncle John. 

That's all." 

To his wife : 

"Columbia, Wednesday, March 23, 1864. 
"I am thus far on my way home. Yesterday I left Washington in the 
seven A.M. train, passed through Baltimore, and reached Philadelphia at two 
o'clock. Had only time to hurry from one depot to the other, and at half- 
past two P.M. started for Columbia. Arrived at the old homestead about 
seven o'clock. Found the family in the sitting-room, gathered around the 
little table. There was our lovely little daughter, with her calm blue eyes 
and gentle, quiet face, and alongside little ' Streak of Sunshine,' with cheeks 
like roses in full bloom. I was an unexpected but most welcome visitor. 
The children clambered up on my knees, and I was one of the happiest men 
in the State of Pennsylvania. Sis and Will are very well and very happy. 
This morning the first thing my door was pushed open, and a sweet little 
voice said, ' Papa, it is time to get up.' I had had the best night's rest since 

M 2 



274 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



I left home. Looking out from the bed-clothes I saw a perfect little face. 
Will never looked prettier. He kept faithful watch while I dressed, and 
then acted as my escort down stairs. Sister is full of love, but not any more 
than her dear papa. With the exception of Davis, the family are very well. 
The children seem anxious to return with papa to New York. The grand- 
parents and the aunt evidently would like to keep them longer in Columbia. 
It is in my heart to gratify the little folks and the old folks both, and I must 
wait for to-morrow to decide what is best. 

"On Monday evening I received a Washington letter from yourself, Mary, 
G. S. Hare, and Southerland. Brother E. Scott was very fraternal. I pre- 
ferred to stay with him rather than go by urgent invitation to the hospitable 
home of my old friend and class-leader, Charles Lane. On my arrival in 
Columbia, I received another letter from yourself. Thanks for these little 
messengers from home. I hope to see you on Friday. To-morrow morn- 
ing I propose to start for Philadelphia, spend the afternoon in that city, and 
on Friday turn my face New- York- ward. Concerning appointments on the 
Sabbath, I would very gladly hear rather than be heard — but whether my 
people would acquiesce, I am not so sure. This I must leave until my re- 
turn." 

It was always a great trial to Mr. Cookman to be separated 
from his family. He had scarcely got settled upon his return 
from the army, when the physical condition of his children re- 
quired that some of them, at least, should be taken to the home- 
stead on the banks of the Susquehanna, and the others with the 
mother soon followed. We are indebted, however, to these 
separations for those familiar and tender letters to his wife 
and children which reveal so charmingly the family side of his 
character. 

To his sons George and Frank : 

"New York, June 24, 1864. 
" You must not think that pa has forgotten you because he has neglected 
to write you a letter. Every day he thinks about his little George and 
Frank, and wonders how they are getting along. I hope that you are very 
obedient and kind to aunt Beckie and grandma, and all the rest. I trust 
that you never quarrel with one another. Remember, little brothers should 
be always full of love. You must not forget your prayers morning and even- 
ing. Never say bad words or associate with bad boys. If you hear a boy 
swear, turn your back upon him, and say he can nof be my playmate or 



LOVING WORDS TO HIS CHILDREN. 



275 



companion any longer. Always go to Sunday-school, and remember to be- 
have well in church. People around are looking at you, and expect good 
conduct from the sons of a minister. I am pleased to know that you go to 
school every day, and go so cheerfully. Give attention to your lessons, and 
learn as much and as fast as you can. Be very attentive and kind to uncle 
Cyrus. Do not climb up on him as you used to do, for that might give him 
pain in his wound. Run his errands. Do every thing you can to make him 
happy, for you know he is your noble, brave soldier uncle. When you are 
large boys or big men you will refer with pride to your patriot uncle, who 
was wounded in the service of his country. 

" Yesterday we — that is, ma, Brune, Sis, Will, and myself— accompanied the 
Seventh Avenue Sabbath-school on their excursion to Staten Island. The 
day was warm, but we had a real nice time. Swings, football, Copenhagen, 
and other sports interested the little folks. No accident occurred, and we 
returned to the city about seven o'clock in the evening. I suppose you would 
like to know about your little brothers and sisters. Well, Brune is still very 
pale and thin, but I think a little better than he was. He is very anxious 
for the time to come when we shall go to Columbia, for he wants very much 
to see his little brothers again. Sister has been sick, but is better again. She 
has had her large doll fixed up, and is quite proud of it. She is a dear little 
girl. Will is still a little 'streak of sunshine' — is as fond of papa's study as 
ever. Both he and Sis have new porte-monnaies. Will has about twelve 
cents, and Sis six. He is perfectly delighted with his treasure. Beck Evans 
has taken a deep cold, which has fallen in her eyes. Poor dear little girl, she 
has all kinds of ailments and afflictions, but notwithstanding is very ' weenty.' 
Little Mary is a honey-drop. Kisses sweeter than ever. Now, Frank, don't 
your mouth water for a kiss ? On the second Sabbath of July (10th) I 
expect to be in Harrisburg. Perhaps some time the week before I will 
bring ma and the rest to Columbia ? Will you be glad to see us ? Now 
my letter is full. Good-bye. Give our love to all. Be good boys." 

To his son Willie : 

" New York, July 19,, 1864. 
" Did you ever receive a letter before ? Now remember that this is all 
yours, so that when mamma has read it to you, you can fold it up and put 
it in the envelop again, and carry it about in your pocket, and say ' This is 
papa's letter to " Little Sunshine." ' Won't that be splendid ? How papa 
misses his little boy. The study is so quiet now; the chairs keep in their 
places ; the old valise stays in the cupboard; no whoop to tell that the loco- 
motive is coming ; no invitation to go in the cars to Columbia ; nobody 



276 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



asks for my lead-pencil now ; or for a sheet of white paper now ; or for a 
book with pictures in now. When papa sits down at the table he is all 
alone. No little darling Will to sit close alongside and wait for his buttered 
bread, or perhaps for a little sip of papa's coffee, which you know is par- 
ticularly nice. Don't you pity poor papa ? Never mind. It won't be long. 
Two or three weeks, and then pa will get in the steam-cars again. The 
old ' locomoshs ' will go ' chu ! chu ! chu ! ' and after a while he will come 
to Columbia. Then he will look out of the car window, and there will be 
bright-eyed little Willie on the fence waving his white handkerchief, shout- 
ing, ' Hurrah, boys ! hurrah ! here comes my precious papa !' Won't that 
be splendid ? But I hear my little boy say, ' What will you bring me ?' 
Kisses — ever so many sugar-candy kisses. Don't you love my kisses ? I 
am sure I love yours. I wish you were here to give me one of those real, 
ripe, sweet, juicy kisses that grow on your little red lips. Tell mamma that 
papa is right well. He has just been writing letters to uncle Frank and 
Edmund Y . This afternoon he expects to attend Dr. Palmer's meet- 
ing, and perhaps afterward ride out to Harlem and see grandma. Now, if 
little ' Streak of Sunshine ' was along, we would go on board the Tiger Lily, 
and sail as far as High Bridge. Wouldn't that be splendid ? I hope that 
while I am away you will be a first-rate boy. Never strike your dear little 
sister— no, indeed ! Never quarrel with your little brothers, or pout or be 
disobedient to your precious mamma. At the table do you eat with your 
fingers ? — no, indeed, but with your fork. Did you know it ? William Wil- 
berforce Cookman is a perfect little gentleman. When I get back to Co- 
lumbia, I will ask mamma and aunt Beckie and grandma, and if they say 
you have been a good boy, then you shall have one of those nice, new, beau- 
tiful two-cent pieces. Now don't you laugh — it is so. I will put it in that 
fat little hand, and you shall feel — ' it is mine? Now I must close Willie's 
letter. When mamma gets through reading it, then give her a splendid 
kiss, and tell her that is from papa ; and then go all around and give every 
one one of your best, and tell them all it is from your dear pa. Good-bye, 
my little darling." 

To his wife : 

" New York, 10 o'clock, Thursday night, 1864. 
" I have just returned from Dr. Stryker's church. The national fast-day 
is over. It has for me been eminently profitable. With considerable sac- 
rifice and self-denial, I remained to supervise these services, and I have 
been richly recompensed in my own experience. In the morning we had 
Dr. Stryker, who preached an excellent sermon to a large congregation. I 



BRIGHT LOOKS FROM A SICK-ROOM. 



277 



prayed and read the Scriptures. It was a delightful service. In the after- 
noon, at four o'clock, I had the large Bible-class room entirely filled (Mrs. 

D among the rest), and a precious hour it proved. In the evening I 

held forth in an address in Mr. Stryker's church. The audience-room was 
comfortably filled, and I enjoyed rather more than ordinary freedom in un- 
folding our duties and hopes as citizens in the present important and fearful 
crisis. To-morrow morning early I expect to start for Poughkeepsie, where 
I will probably spend the day. Then Saturday, then Sunday, then Mon- 
day, and, if the Lord will, my darling wife and beloved children. In patience 
I must possess my soul." 

The following brief note affords evidence of the scrupulous 
fidelity with which Mr. Cookman always regarded the expecta- 
tions of the children under his pastoral care. 

To Mrs. W. B. Skidmore : 

"December 27, 1864. 
" We exceedingly regret that our Sabbath-school festival, which occurs 
this evening, will oblige us to ask a postponement of your visit until Thurs- 
day. The little ones, and larger ones too, expect to find us in the midst of 
our flock. We hope, however, Providence permitting, to enjoy your society 

on Thursday evening. Will you be kind enough to advise Sister B of 

this change ? We hope it is not too late to wish you a very happy Christ- 
mas — happy in its memories, in its present experiences, and in its sweet 
hopes of seeing for ourselves that ' blessed Jesus ' whose birth we so joy- 
ously commemorate." 

To the Friday- afternoon meeting : 

" Trinity Parsonage, January 27, 1865. 

" I should exceedingly delight to share with you the privileges of the 
Friday-afternoon meeting. As this is deemed impracticable, may I speak to 
you from the furnace of affliction — not a seven times heated furnace, never- 
theless a furnace signalized by the presence of the Fourth, nay, the First, 
the fairest among ten thousand, and the One altogether lovely. 

" Since the last Sabbath I have been realizing very specially the precious- 
ness of perfect love. In the midst of pain and physical prostration, I have 
found beneath and around me the Everlasting Arms, while, as I have glanced 
into the future, I have not been startled or stirred by a single doubt or fear. 
Oh, how sweet has been the conviction ! I have nothing to do now — all 
has been done by my blessed Saviour. I stand complete in Him. My heart 



278 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



overflows with gratitude to the blessed Holy Spirit that has inducted me 
into the belief and experience of the doctrine of Christian holiness — a doc- 
trine that is so sweet and satisfying both in sickness and in health. From 
this time I feel as if I should hold it more firmly, preach it more faithfully, 
love it more fully, labor for it more zealously. 

" Dear friends, be assured of my Christian love. Divinity, as I feel, is the 
bond which unites our hearts together. We are one in Christ Jesus. Let 
us be faithful, that our precious spiritual privileges may be reduplicated on 
the other side of Jordan, where, with all the sanctified, we will eternally 
sing ' Glory to the Lamb !' Will you not sing it this afternoon ? . Sing it 
for me. I will join your chorus in my sick-room. You will not hear me, 
but Jesus will. Let us fill his ear with our songs, and his heart with our joy." 

To the Friday- afternoon meeting : 

"April 7, 1865. 

" I very much regret my inability to be with you this afternoon. It is for 
me a serious disappointment. I must, however, yield to the wishes of a 
dear friend, and accompany the remains of his only child to their last rest- 
ing-place. Suffer just one word of testimony — My mercies aboiind. My 
chief, my overshadowing mercy is Jesus, my sanctification. He has been un- 
speakably precious during the present week. Oh, how delighted I should 
be to sit in the midst of you this afternoon, and hear you again sing His 
praise, and speak of His love, and implore His presence and blessing ! This 
can not be; nevertheless we will praise Him for all that is past, and trust 
Him for all that is to come. God bless you all with an unprecedented 
blessing. In haste." 

Before leaving Trinity, Mr. and Mrs. Cookman suffered a 
deep affliction in the death of little Rebecca, a child three 
years and six months old. She was absent from home when 
she died. This was the first time the Destroyer had invaded 
their family circle. The father thus touchingly alludes to their 
bereavement. 

To Mrs. Skidmore : 

" Monday evening, April 10, 1865. 
" We have this afternoon received a telegram acquainting us with the 
death of our dear little daughter Rebecca. She breathed her last to-day 
about half-past twelve. We were exceedingly shocked at the announce- 
ment, for, although we had heard of her sickness, we had no idea that she was 



DEATH OF LITTLE REBECCA. 



279 



seriously or dangerously ill. To-morrow morning we leave for Columbia. 
The little representative of Central Church is the first taken from our do- 
mestic circle. God has constituted her a glorified link to unite Central 
Church in our thoughts to Heaven. Oh, how real and blessed the eternal 
home seems this evening ! My dear wife is overwhelmed with sorrow, nev- 
ertheless she submits uncomplainingly to this providence of our faithful 
God. 

" We need not solicit your sympathies and prayers, for four years of inti- 
mate Christian friendship assures us that your large, noble, and affectionate 
heart will be afflicted in our affliction. God bless you forever for your kind- 
ness to and love for two of His unworthiest servants. Of course we can 
not enjoy the congenial circle that will be associated at your hospitable 
home on Wednesday evening." 

To his sister, Miss Mary Cookman : 

" We have just been placing in the cold grave another beautiful gem, to 
develop and re-appear in the promised resurrection. Our sweet little Re- 
becca is now in the special keeping of Him who looks down and watches 
all her dust till He shall bid it rise. I have many times sought to comfort 
bereaved parents. God, by this providence, has been better preparing me 
for this part of my ministerial duty. Our precious darling was incompara- 
bly more beautiful in death than during life. Losing all her baby-like look, 
she presented the appearance of a lovely little girl — her features regular and 
perfect, her face little wasted, and indescribably sweet in its expression ; 
indeed, her exceeding beauty in death was a matter of universal remark. I 
felt to-day what a trial it is to bury one who is 'bone of your bone and flesh 
of your flesh.' 

" Returning from the grave, the heart-stricken mother could not restrain 
the audible ' Farewell, my precious darling !' I thought, ' Yes, until we 
meet again in a tearless and deathless realm.' Oh, how precious the word 
' Comforter ' is to me this afternoon ! The blessed Third Person comes un- 
usually near, and comforts me with the comfort of God. I have no doubt 
that this experience is in answer to the prayers of those who are very dear 
to me." 

Thus closed the pastorate at Trinity, and with it Mr. Cook- 
man's ministry in New York. The General Conference, at its 
session of 1864, in Philadelphia, had extended the time that a 
minister could be appointed to any one charge from two to 
three successive years ; but, for reasons which seemed sufficient 



280 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



to all concerned, he declined a re-appointment for the third 
year, and accepted a pressing invitation to return to Philadel- 
phia. He and the Trinity people parted on the most agreeable 
terms, and among them to this day no name is more revered 
for the fragrant memories which cluster about it than his. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



RETURN TO PHILADELPHIA. PASTORATE OF THE SPRING GAR- 
DEN STREET CHURCH. — AMONG THE CHILDREN. 

The immediate cause of the transfer of Mr. Cookman again 
(1865) to the Philadelphia Conference so soon after leaving it 
for New York, was that his services were earnestly sought for 
the new church which had been erected in Philadelphia on 
Spring Garden Street. Several of his former parishioners at 
Green Street were active men in erecting the new church, and 
they felt that no one was so well qualified to build up the new 
charge, to give it consistency and stability, as their former be- 
loved pastor. 

As explanatory of his views and feelings upon this and like 
occasions, I give the correspondence between the committee 
of the Spring Garden Street Church and himself in relation to 
the matter. 

Messrs. A. W. Rand, George Milliken, Thomas P.Campbell, 
John W. Clark, and Charles B. Barrett, Committee, to the Rev. 
Alfred Cookman : 

" Spring Garden Street Church, Philadelphia, ) 
September 13, 1864. f 

" Inasmuch as the time is rapidly approaching when it must be deter- 
mined who shall be our next pastor, we all naturally feel very solicitous that 
he who shall be sent to us shall be one who will not only be acceptable to the 
people, but who will, by the blessing of God, be the means of advancing 
and building up the spiritual and temporal interests of our Church. 

" We believe that yon possess all the qualifications to make you thus em- 
inently useful among us ; and at a meeting of the Board of Trustees, held 
last evening, we were appointed a committee to confer with you and solicit 
your advice. 



282 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



"Are you aware of any obstacles which would be likely to prevent our 
consummating an arrangement with you ? Have you any personal objections 
to serving us in the capacity of pastor ? 

" We take leave to add that we believe there is but one wish and opinion 
in the Church and congregation upon this subject, and shall await your an- 
swer with very great interest." 

The Rev. Alfred Cookman to Messrs. Charles B. Barrett, A. 
W. Rand, and others : 

" New York, September 30, 1864. 

"I am in receipt of your official communication. It came perhaps a fort- 
night since, and should have been answered sooner, but indeed I felt as if I 
wanted a little time for careful thought and special prayer respecting a step 
of this kind. The changes of a Methodist itinerant are so frequent and nec- 
essary that we are apt to think he need not have much difficulty in deciding 
such matters — but in my own case (and I suppose this is a general experi- 
ence) I am so painfully anxious to keep in my providential path that I often 
hesitate, wanting to be fully persuaded in my own mind. You ask for a full 
expression of my views and feelings respecting the pastorate of your Church 
for the next Conference year. 

" I reply frankly and sincerely, there is no unwillingness in my own mind 
to return to Philadelphia, and serve you in the relation referred to. Many, 
perhaps most of your members, are dear friends, with whom I have been 
pleasantly situated in past years. They know that I am only a simple, plain, 
and, I hope, faithful minister of Jesus Christ ; and if they could be satisfied 
with me, a very ordinary servant of the Church, I certainly ought to be 
more than satisfied with them — so true and liberal, sympathizing and affec- 
tionate. These are my feelings. 

" Now for my circumstances. Next spring I shall have been at Trinity, 
my present charge, two years. A number of the friends have expressed the 
desire and expectation that I remain with them the third year. My presid- 
ing elder has conversed with me on the subject, saying that while he will 
not throw a difficulty in my way if I conclude to return to Philadelphia, still 
he very much hopes that I will remain in the New York Conference. 
Thinking that the old two-years' law might be the rule in the matter of ap- 
pointments next spring, the friends at Poughkeepsie have approached me 
on the subject of their next pastorate. Seventh Street, New York, and 
Hanson Place, Brooklyn, have also spoken to me for next year. I refer to 
these matters not, of course, to show that my humble labors are in demand, 
but to explain my perplexity in deciding what is my providential path, and 



WELCOME AT THE PHILADELPHIA CONFERENCE. 283 



also to illustrate what kind feelings I must break through in leaving this 
part of the work. 

" Now what shall I do ? I wish to do right. Your city is a desirable 
place of residence for me. Your Conference is my cradle Conference. 
Your Church will be one of the most pleasant appointments in the connec- 
tion — a thousand times better than I deserve. These are interesting, and 
yet to me minor matters. I think my greatest concern is respecting my 
usefulness. Can I accomplish most for Christ and the Church in the Phil- 
adelphia or New York Conference ? I place myself in your hands and with 
the authorities of .the Church. Bishop Simpson is among you, and, while 
he is concerned for the success of your enterprise, I believe he is interested 
for me. He has always allowed me to regard him with the love and ap- 
proach him with the confidence of a son ; and I shall respect and be satis- 
fied with his decision. 

" When any definite conclusion is reached let me know, for it will be but 
just to advise my Trinity friends, who will thus have time to make their ar- 
rangements for the next Conference year. 

" I have written very freely and frankly. And now, thanking you for this 
most emphatic and practical expression of your kindness and confidence, al- 
low me to subscribe myself as ever your brother in the blessed Jesus." 

The authorities having determined upon Mr. Cookman's 
transfer to Philadelphia, he hastened to the session of his old 
Conference at Harrisburg. Thence he wrote to his wife : 

"Harrisburg, March, 1865. 
" I would have written yesterday, but duties multiplied, engrossing all my 
time; among the rest the responsibility and trial of preaching last night. 
Oh ! it was a heavy burden, but I took it up in the name of my Master, and 
was helped. I feel very humble and quiet and grateful this morning. We 
have commenced an eight o'clock prayer-meeting this morning ; the season 
was very blessed. You will be interested in every step of my progress, and 
so I will go back. On Tuesday night I left Philadelphia with quite a num- 
ber of ministerial brethren. Comfortably ensconced in a berth of the sleep- 
ing-car, I dozed until Harrisburg was announced ; proceeding to our friend 
C.'s, I met a most affectionate reception. The brethren at Conference 
were very cordial ; business was rapidly dispatched, and a place assigned 
me on one or two committees, and at the close of the morning session my 
appointment for evening was announced. During the day I met friends in 
every direction ; they were as cordial as though I had been their pastor last 
year. God has given us a strong hold upon the hearts of this people. 



284 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



" The duty of preaching last night involved a terrible trial. I would rather 
have taken severe lashings ; but I dared not refuse — it seemed to me that it 
might be in the order of God ; and what is my will in comparison with the 
Divine will. My Heavenly Father knows how simple and pure was my mo- 
tive. I had a good time — the brethren say great good was accomplished ; 
but this morning I feel like a whipped child, indisposed to look any body in 
the face. My soul, however, is full of tender love for Jesus ; I cling to Him 
with increasing affection and devotion. ' Happy, if Thou, my Lord, approve.' 
Pray for me : I want that this Conference time may be a Pentecostal season 
for us all." 

Mr. Cookman's welcome was, if possible, even heartier than 
on the occasion of his return from Pittsburgh. It is doubtful 
if any friends are like the heart's first friends. His early asso- 
ciates were now more deeply attached to him than ever before. 
His re-entrance into their ranks was hailed with delight; and 
he, as was natural, felt again the tranquilizing sense of home, 
which gave him a new spring for his chosen work. The recep- 
tion which the people would give him could not be questioned 
in view of his popularity when stationed in the city, and the 
enthusiastic greetings which always met him on his occasional 
visits. His brother George wrote in the winter of 1863 to his 
mother after one of these brief sojourns : 

"We enjoyed Alfred's visit hugely. He is a prime fellow, 
and his trip over here was productive of great good. I never 
saw such a sight as the -Monday evening he preached at Green 
Street — altar crowded, and some thirty or forty in the congre- 
gation rose for prayers. We are going to have him back to 
Philadelphia some of these days." 

The Spring Garden charge presented the most favorable con- 
ditions for Mr. Cookman's resumption of the Christian ministry 
as a pastor in the great city of the Keystone State. The new, 
capacious, and elegant church, with every modern facility for 
effective Church work, was admirably located to accommodate 
the growing population in the north-west section of the city. 
It was thoroughly manned by official boards full of energy, zeal, 



AMONG THE CHILDREN. 



285 



and liberality. Its success was assured from the beginning. 
The new pastor's name was a tower of strength. The pews 
immediately after the dedication were rapidly taken, and it en- 
tered promptly upon a career of usefulness such as has been 
hardly surpassed by any charge in any of our great centres. 

Among the features of the Church was its large and well-con- 
ducted Sunday-school. No minister ever more highly appre- 
ciated the Sunday-school as an arm of pastoral success than 
Mr. Cookman. He was in the truest sense in all places a part 
of his school, regarding himself as responsible for a close con- 
tact with it and a most intimate knowledge of its workings. 
He felt that the same heart must send its pulsations through the 
whole congregation, composed alike of adults and children. 
His habit was to know and to be known to teachers and schol- 
ars, to meet them on the most familiar terms, and so to inspire 
them with affection as to be able to utilize them as instruments 
and as materials for the incessant supply of workers in the 
Church and additions to its members. The secret of his great 
power with children was his love for them. This the children 
could always see and feel, and hence he invariably enlisted 
their sympathies. He was one of the most successful talkers 
to youth America has known. His tact in awakening and 
keeping attention, by presenting truth under the drapery of de- 
scription, or in the form of illustration, or by some apt question, 
or by the flash of gentle humor, or by a tone of solemn appeal, 
was really consummate. Who ever knew an audience of chil- 
dren to tire under him ? Who has not seen congregations of 
them, wearied by some prosy homilist who had preceded him, 
suddenly electrified as he rose before them, and his look of 
familiar sweetness and voice of melody caught eye and ear! 
He was never happier than when before the upturned faces of 
his " little brothers and sisters," as he loved to call his youthful 
auditory, or when, surrounded by a throng of them, they plucked 
familiarly at his coat to catch his notice, or when, seated at the 



2 86 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



fireside of his own or some other Christian home, the boys and 
girls drew about him to listen to his naive and simple stories. 

It is said of the celebrated John Charlier Gerson, who was 
Chancellor of the University of Paris, and the theological leader 
of the reformatory councils of Pisa (1409) and Constance (1415), 
that, after taking a prominent part in all the great questions of 
his age, he retired to a convent at Lyons, and found his chief 
delight in the instruction of children.* Alfred Cookman was 
never greater than when in his humility he stooped to be the 
companion and friend of Christ's little ones. Talking one day 
with a lad of one of his charges, he said, " Willie, do you pray ?" 
"Yes, Mr. Cookman," was the reply. "When you pray, what 
do you pray for? You know we must have an object when 
we pray." "Why, sir, I have a very bad temper, and I pray to 
God to help me to overcome it." " And does He help you ?" 
" Yes, sir, I think He does." Such was the affection, the direct- 
ness, with which he approached the children and youth of his 
parishes. 

It may not be amiss here to present at some length in his 
own words his views of the relation of " the pastor and the Sun- 
day-school." The report, though not full, is very suggestive : 

" A practical talk on the relation of the pastor to the Sunday-school was 
made by the Rev. Alfred Cookman. 

" He did not design discussing the theory of this relation, but to give his 
views of what it should be, illustrating by his own experience in trying to 
carry out his convictions on this subject. 

" 1. A pastor ought to spend a part of every Sabbath in the midst of his 
school ; be intimately interested and identified with it. He should, if pos- 
sible, know the name, secure the confidence, and engage the affections of 
every child in his charge. To further this, he may pass around the school 
from time to time quietly, unostentatiously, taking the hand of the teacher, 
smiling upon or speaking to the class, or to members of it, by name, as, 
'Brother Charley, I hope that you are very well to-day;' or, 'Harry, my 
little brother, I trust that you are enjoying your lesson — do you find it diffi- 



* Lange's Comm. on Matt., p. 323. 



THE PASTOR AND THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 287 



cult ?' or, ' Mary, my little sister, you must not fail to give God your heart 
or, ' Lizzie, I am hoping that, after a while, I shall have the pleasure of 
meeting you in heaven, as I now have the pleasure of meeting you in Sab- 
bath-school.' Thus the presence of the pastor will be greeted as a living, 
moving blessing, and as he crosses the threshold of the room little eyes will 
brighten, and hearts overflow with loving gladness. 

"The pastor should also recognize his scholars in the street and at their 
homes, as well as in the school-room. The speaker had charged his chil- 
dren to run up to him and take him by the hand in the street, and to make 
themselves known whenever and wherever they should meet him. 

" 2. A second suggestion is that the pastor should preach steadily or reg- 
ularly to the children of his Church, members of his Sabbath-school. This 
is not to say that he should monopolize the superintendent's time by re- 
marks, but have fixed periods when, after due preparation, he shall speak a 
word of loving counsel, warning, or encouragement. ' After due prepara- 
tion,' mark, for there can hardly be a greater mistake than to suppose that 
this exercise requires little or no preparation. Dr. Newton, that prince of 
children's preachers, had told him that he devoted as much time and labor 
to his ' children's sermons ' as to those which he prepared for the great con- 
gregation. The reason why it has come to be a received truth that so few 
are adapted to talk to children, is because so few take the time and thought 
necessary to prepare themselves for the work. Then, after thorough prep- 
aration, they must put themselves in sympathy with their youthful hearers, 
and should aim rather to talk to them than ' address ' them. 

" In connection with the service called ' Children's Sermon,' Mr. Cook- 
man has found it advantageous to encourage the older scholars to submit to 
him, the Sabbath after they have heard it, a report of his sermon, which 
may be longer or shorter as they may please. He receives it, takes it home, 
carefully examines and corrects it, marks it 'very good,' 'excellent,' 'good,' 
according to its merits, and signs it carefully, ' Your affectionate pastor,' ap- 
pending his name. The report is then returned to the scholar. The idea 
has proved useful in several very obvious ways. 

"3. As a third suggestion, a pastor would find it helpful to him and his 
school to have a week-day meeting of a children's class, over which he could 
have supervision in the matter of Christian duty and walk. In most of his 
charges, Mr. Cookman had held such a class on Saturday afternoon at three 
o'clock. Punctuality is insisted upon, the roll called, and absentees marked. 
If a scholar is absent two or three weeks consecutively, without an excuse, 
his name is stricken from the roll. After singing and prayer, and singing 
again, the pastor asks a few questions bearing on practical religion, as, 



2 88 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



whether they have remembered to read their Bibles daily, and pray to God 
morning and night since they last met, the answers being given by rais- 
ing the hand. In such an exercise the speaker had been impressed with 
the fact that so few of his scholars were accustomed to pray twice a day. 
They are then encouraged to stand up in their place and recite a passage 
.of Scripture on a topic announced the week before,or one having the name 
of Jesus in it, or one beginning with A, B, C, D, etc., going regularly through 
the alphabet. An opportunity is then given to the pastor to reply person- 
ally to the scholars, giving a short word to each on the text they have re- 
cited perhaps, and then general remarks to the class for fifteen or twenty 
minutes, with the aid of the blackboard, concluded with singing. These ex- 
ercises last three quarters of an hour, never exceed an hour. Tracts and 
children's papers and reward cards are then distributed, and the class sep- 
arates. Each child is taken by the hand on parting, and some such senti- 
ment expressed as, ' I hope you will be found obedient at home, kind to 
little brothers and sisters during the week,' etc. 

" 4. As a last suggestion, the pastor should be concerned to organize a 
Bible-class, composed of his teachers and members of the larger classes who 
might choose to join it. This class may meet during the week to study 
their next Sunday's lesson. They had organized one in the speaker's 
charge, which promised most important results. It meets on Saturday even- 
ing. The first hour is devoted to the lesson in asking and answering ques- 
tions, using the question-book as a guide, but not confining themselves to it. 
This exercise is made a free, familiar interchange of thought and inquiry. 
The next half-hour of one week is devoted to teachers' experiences, the re- 
lation of encouragements and discouragements, or to prayer over the work. 
On the next week this half-hour is given to reading by the pastor of short 
biographical or other sketches of religious interest, making it eminently 
practical. On the third meeting two or three short essays, written by schol- 
ars, are read. On the fourth, after the regular exercises, committees ap- 
pointed by the pastor on various subjects, such as sick and delinquent mem- 
bers; on new members; the prayer-meetings (which the young men and 
young women conduct separately); on sick and afflicted Church members; 
on tract distribution, etc., all make their reports. Thus an interest is taken 
in all the work of the Church, and the pastor is training helpers all around 
him. The whole secret of his success lies in some such efforts, by which 
his flock, young and old, shall be kept employed in the Master's vineyard. 

" For a pastor to neglect the command, ' Feed my lambs,' and thus to 
turn aside from a field 'white to the harvest,-' is to indicate a strange unfit- 
ness for the very work to which he ought to believe himself divinely called 
beyond any question." 



FAMILIAR LETTERS TO HIS BOYS. 



289 



Several letters of Mr. Cookman to his children have already 
been given. I insert others here, written about this date, as il- 
lustrative of his manner of dealing with his own children, and 
as pertinent to the above remarks. His children were sum- 
mering at or near Columbia. 

To his eldest son, Burner : 

" You will be glad to receive a letter from pa. He thinks a great deal 
about his little boy; and hopes you will not get sick again. I suppose you 
would like to have your velocipede and little carriage in Columbia. As, 
however, we could not very well send them so far, they will have to remain, 
and you can enjoy them when you return to the city. Grandma Cookman 
often talks about you. She will be glad to see you again. You must be a 
good boy, obey ma, love your brothers, take care of sister Puss, read your 
Bible every day, pray to your Heavenly Father, and then you will grow to 
be a first-rate man." 

To his son George : 

" This letter is for ' Posse kin,' as ma sometimes calls you. I expect you 
are having an elegant time at grandpa's — rolling your hoop, flying your kite, 
playing with Rollo, and helping grandma to make garden. You must not 
eat up all the gooseberries and cherries and currants before pa comes to 
Columbia ; if you do, pa will lay you down on the floor, and he will tickle 
you — oh, how he will tickle you ! I hope that you are a very good boy, that 
you obey every thing that aunt Beckie tells you, that you say your prayers ev- 
ery morning and evening, that you never quarrel with little Bruner, and that 
you keep away from the railroad and river. Would you not like to see the 
little sister ? She is a bouncing, beautiful girl, and begins to crow like a 
chicken. Frank Simpson talks a great deal about Bruner and George ; he 
says, ' Boys gone in the cars — gone to Columbia.' When pa and ma come 
they will bring Frank and the little sister. Then you will take Frank in the 
garden and show him the flowers, won't you ? and you will put little Annie 
in a carriage, and take her riding. Then pa will get a big carriage and a 
live horse, and with his little boys he will drive out in the country. Won't 
we have a good time ? Now remember to be a good, obedient boy, and pa 
will bring you a pretty present. Give a kiss to grandma, grandpa, and aunt 
Rebecca, and all the rest. When they will let you see that new baby at 
uncle Aby's, you must ask him to let you give it a kiss for pa, and let it 

N 



290 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



be one of your very best kisses. Pa and ma send you a locomotive full of 
love." 

To his boys : 

" You will be glad I know to hear from us. After leaving you on Mon- 
_day I proceeded in the direction of Philadelphia, reaching home about six 
/ o'clock in the evening. I found all well. The next day we started in the 
noon train, and arrived in Columbia early in the afternoon. The children 
were very much surprised and delighted to see us. Will is stout and healthy. 
Sis is sunburnt and thin. Mary is fat and saucy. We took to Sis, Maze, 
and Mame wax-dolls and paper-dolls, and to Will, Alfred, and Harry we 
gave knives, arrows, and blow-guns. Yesterday I rode out to see the new 
camp-ground, which is about twelve miles from Columbia. The grove is 
very beautiful. Aunt Beckie will have a tent. The friends are expecting 
about one hundred and twenty tents. I shall take Sis and Will some day 
and let them see a camp-meeting. Uncle Abe's stable is nearly finished, 
and both his horses are here. Their names are Frank and Mike. They 
are strong, noble bays. In a few days he expects to have his carriage, and 
then look out for splendid rides. I hope you continue very good boys. 
Remember to do as uncle John or cousin Emmy require. Be polite at the 
table; make as little noise as possible; do not go in the way of danger; 
keep away from the machines and from the horses' feet ; keep your clothing 
tidy ; be sure not to quarrel ; read your Bible ; say your prayers ; resolve to 
be just as good in the absence as in the presence of your parents. We de- 
sire to hear from you, so that you must remember to write every week. I 
suppose you are having a grand time hunting eggs, picking blackberries, 
digging calamus, riding horses, and helping cousin Davy in the harvest-field. 
Get all the enjoyment you can, and then be ready to go back to school and 
study like nailers." 

To his daughter Mary : 

" Dear Little Honey Sister, — How I would like to have you in my 
arms just now. I would give you a splendid squeeze, and then I would kiss 
those dear little cheeks. Pa often looks into your crib and then thinks of 
his precious daughter. Won't you come to Philadelphia some of these days, 
and sleep alongside of your darling pa ? To-day I was looking at your bas- 
ket-cradle, in which you rock your dolls. When you come back to the city 
pa will get you a new doll for your cradle ; but you must be a very good lit- 
tle girl. Do not eat any green grapes. You may jump rope, and sew with 
your ' nccda? and play with your 'yabbit? but you must not get sick. Now 
give mc one of your best kisses and bid me good-night." 



GOOD ADVICE. 



291 



To his older sons : * 

" Bruner's letter came to hand this morning. We were glad to learn that 
you were quite well and enjoying yourselves. You must be very good boys 
during your stay in Columbia. Make as little noise and trouble as possible. 
Grandma and grandpa are both old, and therefore can not bear as much 
as they once could. You must try and remember this, and when you 
are in the house talk in subdued tones and sit quietly in your chairs. I 
think you ought to take a part of every day for reading. If all study and no 
play makes Jack a dull boy, then all play and no study makes Jack a very 
good-for-nothing boy. Select some interesting book, read more or less ev- 
ery day, and when I come to Columbia you can each one report the number 
of pages you have read, for I shall certainly ask the question. Do not quar- 
rel with one another ; such conduct is disgraceful, and especially between 
brothers. This spirit often leads to blows, and blows to serious injuries, 
and even death. Nothing could grieve me so much as to know that my boys 
did not feel kindly or affectionately toward each other. Always be gentle and 
patient and affectionate in your conversation and sports and intercourse. 

"Another thing — never forget that you are young Christians, members of the 
Church. The eyes of others are upon you. I do not suppose that you would 
tell falsehoods or say bad words, or take what did not belong to you. But re- 
member that angry tempers and angry words are inconsistent with the Chris- 
tian character. You have not left your religion in Philadelphia, but taken 
it with you. Let it influence you to read your Bible every day, io pray three 
times a day, and to go to class-meeting every week. Ask aunt Beckie if she 
will not take you with her ; and though it may be a trial — a great trial — yet 
for the sake of your dear Saviour consent to the trial, and resolve to attend 
a class -meeting every week. In this matter take your father's advice. He 
knows what is best, for he has been through all your experiences. Read 
this letter over and over again, think of and remember the advice we have 
given. Be quiet as possible, read a little every day, don't quarrel, act like lit- 
tle Christians, go to class-meeting: About going down the country, we will 
see when I go to Columbia. This morning we are all pretty well. The 
baby, who was quite sick all day yesterday, seems better. This is probably 
owing to the agreeable change in the weather. Mamma says that when it 
suddenly becomes cool you must not forget to put on thicker clothing. Will 
scalded his foot this morning, and for a while was a lame and crying little 
soldier. But petroleum and flour have cured him so far that he is now out 
of doors playing. How is little sister Puss ? Let every brother give her 
two kisses for me. I am glad she was pleased with her book. Of course she 
will read it all through, and be able to tell us all about it when we meet." 



292 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



To his son George : 

" How are you getting along ? I hope, as Frank would say, ' berry well.' 
I thought when I saw you that there was not enough flesh on that little body 
of yours. See if you can not get right fat by the time I go to Columbia. 
Look here, George, do you know who can speak, 

" ' From Greenland's icy mountains, 
From India's coral strand ?' 

Yes, you do. It is a little fellow just about your size, and that looks just as 
you do. Now the boy that can speak as well as you do, ought not to be 
noisy or rude or disobedient. Do you think he ought ? I want you to be 
one of the best boys in all the world. You know you are named after 
grandpa Cookman, and he was one of the best men that could be found." 

A meeting for the promotion of holiness was promptly estab- 
lished at Spring Garden ; but for sufficient reasons Mr. Cook- 
man allowed it to be removed to the Methodist Book-rooms, 
on Arch Street. He by general consent was continued the 
leader of the meeting while he remained in the city. This 
" Friday-afternoon meeting " has become an institution, and is 
resorted to by persons of all denominations from far and near. 
Mr. Cookman also frequented, as when previously in Philadel- 
phia, the meetings under the conduct of Mrs. Keen. 

A letter written about midsummer of this year makes pleas- 
ing reference to this and kindred meetings, to the success of the 
new Church enterprise, and withal breathes the saintly devo- 
tion and genuine friendship so characteristic of the man. 

To Mrs. Skidmore, of New York : 

" Philadelphia, July 11, 1865. 
" How much obliged I was for your kind and very welcome letter. When 
the pen can contribute so much to the happiness of our friends, especially 
ministerial friends, who need the inspiration of affectionate words ; when it 
so consciously builds us up in our purposes and faith and holiness, are we 
not responsible for its use ? You will feel, I trust, the force of this sincere 
appeal, and by your continuance in well-doing earn the valuable commen- 
dation, i She hath done what she could. 1 Our pleasant fellowship in the 
Central Church pastorate, and subsequently at Trinity, furnishes even now 



SANCTIFIED FRIENDSHIPS. 



293 



a feast of memory. As the iron wheel in its revolutions has interfered with 
this communion, the next best thing is friendly correspondence. If we can 
not enjoy together one of our old-time talks, thank God, we have the ability 
and disposition to make a less satisfactory medium tributary to our Chris- 
tian friendship. Meanwhile, aye, and all the while, we are one in Christ our 
Head. It is with me a most inspiring thought that, although separated in 
person from many of my cherished friends, yet our spirits constantly com- 
mingle in God. We are every day in the same presence, talking to the 
same Father, sharing the same precious influences. Truly mountains rise 
and oceans roll to "sunder such in vain. 

" With yourself I place an increasing appreciation on those friends whose 
hearts have been constituted the abode of the sanctifying Spirit. Their 
words instruct me, their example stimulates me, their influence lingers with 
me. They not only contribute to my purest joys in this world, but are en- 
riching me for all eternity. Next to Jesus in my own heart, I am unuttera- 
bly grateful for Jesus in my friends. The circle that were associated in the 
Friday-afternoon meeting ! oh, how vividly they live in my remembrance 
— how they still seem to strengthen and comfort me with their testimonies 
and prayers ! Around that room and around those friends there gathers an 
unearthly glory. As I review those rich privileges, I sometimes find myself 
singing, 

" ' And if our fellowship below 
In Jesus was so sweet, 
"What heights of rapture shall we know 
When round His throne we meet.' 

" I enjoy our Philadelphia means of grace, but as yet it seems to me that 
we have not struggled as near the eternal throne as we were accustomed 
to get in those memorable meetings. 

" You will regret to learn that our beloved friend Andrew is unusually fee- 
ble. About two weeks since he broke down utterly in the midst of his Sab- 
bath-morning sermon. The friends at Trinity- are very kind in their concern 
for his welfare. It is to be hoped that his annual rest and recreation will 
entirely restore him. Mrs. Keen is enjoying the society of Sister Lankford, 
who has been here about two weeks. Unfortunately for myself, I have been 
absent from the Tuesday meeting both times when she has been present. 
Thus I have missed her kind, sweet face, her gentle words, her precious 
spirit. I am hoping, however, this afternoon to meet her under those pleas- 
ant circumstances, and be refreshed as aforetime by her clear, simple, and 
unctuous testimony. 

" You have doubtless been informed respecting the great success of our 



294 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Church enterprise. The day of dedication was marked by the most decided 
interest and the most satisfactory success. Bishop Simpson and Dr. Dur- 
bin both preached with very much more than their ordinary power. Gen- 
eral Grant,* without invitation, gave us his presence. The collections 
amounted to $15,000, which leaves a very small indebtedness. All the pews 
on the lower floor, except two, have been rented, and some in the gallery. 
The income from rentals and premiums this year will approach $10,000. 
Not unto us, not unto us, but unto our kind Heavenly Father we give all 
the glory. Will you not remember us with the sincerest love to all our 
dear friends in New York that you may meet ? If we are dear to any of 
them, I am sure they are all unspeakably dear to us. Tell any of them who 
may be interested to know that I still joyously accept Jesus as my perfect 
Saviour." 

The first year of the pastorate at Spring Garden was one 
of solid and abiding usefulness. There is no record which 
acquaints us with the details of the devoted pastor's labors, but 
the minutes of the Conference show increase in all depart- 
ments. 

As evidence of the high esteem in which the pastor and his 
wife were held, the congregation, on the 6th of March, 1866, the 
fifteenth anniversary of their marriage, gave them a " crystal 
wedding." Their home on Wallace Street was crowded with the 
members of the congregation, who brought with them many taste- 
ful articles as mementoes of the occasion. A presentation speech 
was made to the happy pair by Mr. Alexander Irwin, to which 
Mr. Cookman replied in his usually felicitous style. He was' 
much moved while he spoke, and at the close called upon the 
company to sing, " Praise God, from whom all blessings flow," 
and then offered prayer. 

Mr. Cookman never appeared to greater advantage than 
amid those scenes, when he was surrounded by the company of 
his friends, drawn together in honor of himself, or of some 
friend, or for the advancement of the social culture of the 

* It was then expected that General Grant would settle in Philadelphia, 
and the Trustees of the Church had offered him a pew. 



BEFORE THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. 295 



Church. He was commonly the central attraction of all such 
gatherings, not so much by his official station as by the charm 
of his person and character — handsome, dignified, and affable, 
he moved among the circles which he frequented with a modest 
grace, an instinctive recognition of the claims of others, a 
kindly salutation for every one, an evident appreciation of all 
that is best in his fellow-beings, which, while it showed him to 
be a man of 

" Cheerful yesterdays, and confident to-morrows," 
also made it manifest to all that the source of his cheerfulness 
and of his friendship was deep in the springs of a pure nature. 

Mr. Cookman's close sympathy with the Young Men's Chris- 
tian Association during his former residence in Philadelphia 
will be remembered. He shows himself again on their plat- 
form, and speaks in the following timely and earnest words : 

."Ecclesiastical history tells us of one of the ancient Christians who, when 
summoned before the tribunal where he was to receive his sentence of death, 
was asked, ' What is thy name ?' He immediately responded, ' I am a 
Christian ?' ' What is thy occupation ?' He answered, ' I am a Christian.' 
'What is thy native country?' He answered, 'I am a Christian.' 'Who 
were thy ancestors?' He answered, 'I am a Christian.' And to all the 
inquiries he responded consistently in the words, ' I am a Christian.' Sir, 
it is with a feeling akin to this that I appear upon your platform to-night — 
not as an American, not as a Methodist, not as a sectarian, Mr. President — I 
am a Christian. I glory in this worthy distinction ; and in the presence of 
men and angels I announce the fact, ' I am a Christian ' — a humble mem- 
ber, an unworthy representative of the Young Men's Christian Association 
of the City of Philadelphia. 

" Allow me, sir, to congratulate you and the friends of this worthy enter- 
prise upon the brilliant and truly inspiring scene which greets our vision 
and crowns our anniversary. Certainly these Christian laborers are encom- 
passed about with a great cloud of witnesses. Look at them sitting in these 
boxes, occupying this lower floor and yonder gallery — filling the entire house, 
making it appear almost like an ancient amphitheatre, which, during the 
progress of the Olympic games, would be crowded in every part, causing the 
place to look like a living, breathing structure. It shows how dear to the 
heart of every Christian is the cause of Christianity, and the welfare of every 



296 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



instrumentality intended to promote the interests of religion. These young 
men shall rise up like a race of young giants, showing themselves mighty in 
pulling down the strongholds of the wicked one. Now we have in the midst 
of us the Ark of the Covenant. Upon our banners are inscribed the words, 
1 Christ and Him crucified.' This is the motto under which we successfully 
battle. It is true, we still want the baptism of fire — that fire which shall con- 
stantly burn in our hearts, that shall glow in our countenances, kindle upon 
our tongues, and shine in our lives. 

" Mr. President, I was greatly excited by the cordial welcome you extended 
to these delegates, hailing as they do from the North, South, East, and West. 
Only a week since I was in the city of Pittsburgh, and spent there one of 
the happiest evenings of my life. That such may be the case with you all 
to-night is my earnest wish. But a few years have elapsed since the veterans 
of 1812, hailing from almost every state in the Union, assembled in yonder 
hall on Chestnut Street, where more than eighty-three years ago there was 
prepared for publication to the world the memorable Declaration of Amer- 
ican Independence. Finding the room too small for the number present, 
they adjourned to the Chinese Museum, which afforded them more spacious 
accommodations. At the second organization it was ascertained that some 
of the delegates were absent. The New York delegation was every moment 
expected. Soon the stentorian voice of the door-keeper was heard, and the 
shout of the 'New York Delegation' resounded throughout the building. 
That vast audience sprang upon their feet, and made the edifice literally 
vocal with their shouts of enthusiastic welcome. The Baltimore veterans, 
coming in immediately after, were received with the wildest shouts of en- 
thusiastic joy. And now, when the good soldiers of Jesus Christ are com- 
ing from the battles of our world to sit down in a convention that shall never 
adjourn sine die, an angel at one door, with shouts of joy, will announce the 
names of the Young Men's Christian Association of New York ; another 
angel, at another door, will announce the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion of Troy ; another the names of the associations of Baltimore, German- 
town, and a thousand other places, all coming to mingle together in the Par- 
adise of God. May God grant such may be the case, and that we may all 
be united in a bond of union that shall never know dissolution." 



CHAPTER XVII. 



SPRING GARDEN STREET CHURCH. — CIVIL RIGHTS OF THE COL- 
ORED RACE. VACATION AT CAMP-MEETINGS. 

The session. of this Conference of 1866 over, Mr. Cookman 
hastened to the help of his brother John, who was stationed in 
Poughkeepsie, New York. He found him in the midst of an 
extensive revival, but greatly prostrated in health ; and although 
he was himself just out of an arduous winter's work, he could 
not refrain from entering earnestly into the work on his broth- 
er's hands. 

To his wife : 

" Poughkeepsie, Monday, March 26. 
* * * « We found John in bed, a victim of diphtheria and great nervous 
prostration. Last Wednesday the doctor was very much alarmed. Yester- 
day morning early, and again in the afternoon, he had very bad spells. This 
morning, however, he seems better, and we hope will recover rapidly. His 
people are earnest and united in the prayers for the preservation of his life, 
which seems to them exceedingly valuable. His labors have been singularly 
blessed. It is estimated that nearly three hundred have professed to ex- 
perience religion, among whom are a large number of heads of families and 
strong, stalwart young men. The end is not yet. 

" I preached yesterday morning on the cloud of witnesses. After the 
sermon the altar was surrounded by gentlemen and ladies, who proposed to 
join the Church on probation. In the afternoon we had a prayer-meeting, 
with an altar full of penitents. In the evening I preached on ' Ye will not 
come,' etc. The altar was again filled with mourners, and some occupied the 
front seats. This morning, and every morning at nine o'clock, a meeting, 
largely attended, is held in the lecture-room. I preach to-night, to-morrow 
night, and perhaps on Wednesday night. John has not been out of his bed 
since last Tuesday, so that he is entirely laid aside. The friends interpret 
my presence as a providential interposition. If you need me before Thurs- 
day, telegraph, and I will be forthcoming at the earliest moment, but, unless 
there should be some emergency demanding my presence, I reckon I will 

N 2 



298 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



stay till Thursday. I have the prospect of incessant labor while I remain 
here, but this work shall make my heart rejoice, and ' spend the remnant of 
my days.' " 

The successful close of the late civil war, it will be remem- 
bered, entailed upon the nation problems of reconstruction sec- 
ond only in importance and difficulty to that of maintaining the 
unbroken authority of the general Government. The chief prob- 
lem was the settlement of the relations of the freed colored race 
to the new order of things. The negro was free — he could not 
be again reduced to slavery. Should he advance in the essen- 
tial conditions of freedom to the possession of those civil rights 
without the exercise of which liberty is but a name ? Such was 
the question which in 1866 forced itself upon the true lovers of 
the country and of humanity for a speedy and practical solution. 

It can not be denied that the first stage of transition from 
bondage to freedom was to the colored people of the South a 
period of fearful trial and suffering. " The reaction which fol- 
lowed at the waters of strife, upon the exultation of the passage 
of the Red Sea, has been fitly described as the likeness of the 
reaction which, from the days of Moses downward, has followed 
on every great national emancipation — on every just and be- 
neficent revolution — when the ' evils it caused are felt, and the 
evils which it removed are felt no longer.' " # Many of the 
worst results of emancipation, which the enemies of the slaves 
had predicted and their friends had feared, fell upon them. 
They wandered about in multitudes, without food, clothing, 
or shelter. Their irresponsible and defenseless condition ex- 
posed them to sickness and immorality. They were tempted 
to drunkenness, theft, and murder. It is not surprising that 
they, like the Israelites, longed at the "bitter waters" for the 
"flesh-pots of Egypt." When in bondage, they felt only the 
evils of their sad state, and anticipated in freedom naught but 
the sweets of liberty. In their recollections they dreamed of 
* Stanley's History of the Jewish Church. 



JUSTICE TO THE NEGRO. 



299 



their snug quarters, their hoe-cakes, their merry evening songs 
and dances, but forgot the chains, the whip, the extinction of 
manhood and all its ties ; and thus, as they saw in the present 
only privation and peril, no wonder their hearts failed them and 
hope well-nigh died out. 

Many of the advocates of freedom were also alarmed. The 
old, oft-repeated sophistry, that the negro is incapable of self- 
government, seemed too well supported by the abuses and shift- 
lessness which could not but follow upon the heels of a people 
suddenly liberated, without the least education in the habits of 
self-help. It again required the faith and nerve to insist upon 
the rights of citizenship for the black man that it had origi- 
nally required to demand his liberation. Mr. Cookman was 
among the number who stood forward quite early in the recon- 
struction agitation for the bestowal of these rights in all their 
fullness. 

To his sister, Miss Mary Cookman : 

" Philadelphia, June 6, 1866. 

" Last night I made a speech in the largest colored church in Philadel- 
phia. Two bishops, a book agent, a missionary, an editor, etc. (all black), 
on the platform. Justice to the negro and justice to the traitor was my po- 
litical creed announced. Duty to their brethren in the South, the exhorta- 
tion urged. We had a glorious time. I thought of our honored father, 
how he would have reveled and kindled and flamed on such an occasion or 
under such circumstances. 

"This suggests your inquiry respecting colonization. My impression is 
that colonization belongs to some future providential development. God is 
using the African race just now to teach us a lesson of justice and human 
brotherhood. We are not sufficiently instructed or disciplined yet, and can 
not dispense with the lesson-book. When we are disposed to do justly in 
every particular, then I rather expect that Providence will open some gold 
mines or oil wells, or something else in the African coast, or in some other 
locality where black people can best live, and so we shall work out the prob- 
lem of colonization. At the present time they are not only important for 
testing our integrity, but also for cultivating our soil. As laborers they are ' 
indispensable to our wealth and prosperity. I think colonization must be 
left to Providence and the colored people themselves. We can not force 



3°° 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



them away ; it would be unwise, unkind, unchristian ; and to colonize as we 
have been doing is like emptying a river by taking out a bucketful now 
and then. Let us live for the present, faithfully discharging the duty of the 
passing hour, which is to educate and elevate a people whose unrequited la- 
bors, multiplied wrongs, tedious bondage, and deep degradation give them a 
special claim upon us. Give them the spelling-book, the Bible, equal rights 
before the law, and the elective franchise as their weapon of defense, and 
then leave all the rest to God. In such a case I would implicitly trust the 
providence of One who is Himself infinitely just and holy and good. 

" We were very grateful to learn of the improvement in dear mother's 
health. She does not know how unspeakably precious she is in the ap- 
preciation of her children. As time leaves its mark upon face and form, 
our love seems to be gentler, tenderer, and more sacred. We feel to say, 
' Handle her carefully, speak to her lovingly ; pour all the sunshine pos- 
sible over the remaining years of her earthly sojourn.' Oh, we enjoyed 
beyond expression her presence in Philadelphia. She never before seemed 
so beautiful in my eyes. I felt as if I wanted to see her every day. My 
visits were always too short for myself. God bless her with the best of His 
blessings — and He does, for He gives her Himself, and next to this He gives 
her the enthusiastic love of her devoted children. We give her her vindi- 
cation before she is taken from us, that she has always been true, tender, 
sympathizing, loving, faithful — yes, the best of mothers. 

"I have written you a long letter, and yet I have not said nearly all that is 
in my heart. My soul still trusts and triumphs in God. Oh, for a gust of 
praise to spread abroad the preciousness and power of full salvation !" 

The summer of 1866 found Mr. Cookman, as usual, turned 
"evangelist." Instead of spending the vacation month as a 
holiday, he went from camp-meeting to camp-meeting, a herald 
of salvation. " What is the use of giving you vacation ?" said 
one of his official brethren ; " you don't rest, you go to all the 
camp-meetings and preach more than if you were at home. I 
can not favor it unless you will rest." He replied, " I can not 
accept on such condition. I must preach. The Gospel is free." 

He was then in perfect health, and seemed never to need the 
recreations which are taken apart from the .constant exercise of 
preaching and laboring for the salvation of the people. His 
movements and the exercises of his mind may best be seen in 



penn's grove. 



301 



his own letters. The prominence given to the subject of holi- 
ness will strike every one. It must also be apparent how rap- 
idly he was growing in grace — how increasingly spiritual and 
heavenly his experience was becoming. He was literally losing 
himself in Christ, and in that doctrine the experience of which 
he regarded as wholly putting on the Lord Jesus. 
To his wife : 

" Camp Ground, Thursday, 1866. 
" I am just outside of Heaven. Penn's Grove is, as usual, the very vesti- 
bule of Paradise. * The meeting, always good, was never more glorious than 
this year. An unusual number of tents are on the ground, crowds of preach- 
ers, and very many of those who are so dear to the heart of Jesus, Brother 
Belden, Brother Inskip and wife, etc., etc. This morning we have been en- 
joying a meeting, and if Heaven supplies such pleasures I certainly will 
have no reason for complaint. 

" ' My glad soul mounted higher, 
In a chariot of fire, 
And the moon it was under my feet.' 

Oh, how glad I am that I came ! Father, Son, and Holy Ghost meet, over- 
shadow me, and make the hours memorable. I feel as if I could almost 
give a little fortune if you were here. Perhaps we made a mistake in not 
coming down last Saturday, but our motive was pure. It had rained, and 
every thing was very damp, but my Father covered me with His feathers, 
and under His wing did I sleep. Yesterday I was sick, but camp-meeting 
has cured me, and this morning I feel decidedly better. There are constant 
inquiries respecting yourself, and great regret expressed that you are not 
here. I do not expect to preach. There are so many ministerial brethren 
this year that I can be excused. The trumpet has sounded for morning 
preaching. I have lingered a moment to scribble these few lines. To-mor- 
row I expect to leave for Baltimore. Oh, that you could breathe this hal- 
lowed atmosphere ! — oh, that you could share these celestial influences ! 
God will bless you in Columbia. I want this summer an unprecedented 
baptism of the Holy Ghost." 

To his wife : 

" Philadelphia, Spring Garden, ) 
Monday morning, 5 o'clock, 1866. f 
" Yesterday I preached at St. George's morning and evening, and also 
administered the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Working both ways, 



302 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



this made a full and laborious day. My sermons, however, released Dr. 
Bartine, and thus Ennall's Springs camp-meeting was saved from disappoint- 
ment. At eight o'clock I listened to Rev. Mr. Matlack. His subject was ' the 
Times,' and he preached the most political sermon I ever heard. Some of 
his expressions were terrible, but on the whole I liked it because of its truth 
and bravery. The Penn's Grove camp wound up gloriously. The last after- 
noon and evening one hundred souls were converted. They say that alto- 
gether it was the best meeting held in that forest for twelve years. This 
morning at nine o'clock I expect to start for the Eastern Shore. Manship 
goes with me. Robert Thompson's carriage will probably meet us at Bridge- 
ville. I had another letter from him on Saturday. I think he would really 

suffer if I failed to get to the camp. The P family are as kind as they 

can be— God bless them ! I have not heard from you since last Wednes- 
day—that is, since I left. When I reach my destination this evening I shall 
expect to find letters. May our kind Heavenly Father take good care of the 
family of one who is anxious to do Plis will. My soul still trusts and tri- 
umphs in the Rock of my salvation." 

To his sister, Miss Mary Cookman : 

"August 17, 1866. 

"This week, after Penn's Grove, I went down to Ennall's Springs, in 
Dorchester County. Oh, how my good Heavenly Father used me there ! 
Eternal praises to His glorious name. I should want pages to tell you all. 
One night the power and glory of God came down in the preachers' tent 
after we had all retired. For myself, I was ' filled with the Spirit.' Such 
a season of rejoicing and praise I never witnessed. It was an inner sanctu- 
ary filled with the ' Shekinah.' About one o'clock at night we went around 
the ground shouting the praises of our conquering King. 

"On Wednesday of this week I went up to Halifax camp-meeting, above 
Harrisburg. It was the last night of the meeting, but oh, what a night ! 
Old Methodists, who had been going to camp-meeting for nearly half a 
century, say they never saw any thing like it. Brother George Lybrand 
preached very forcibly at half-past seven o'clock, and invited penitents. 
The bench was filled. At eleven o'clock I preached to the Church on the 
subject of ' Holiness.' Oh, what an appetite the people exhibited ! We 
knelt in consecration before God, then followed the Sacrament at the mid- 
night hour. It brought us to Jesus ; He saved us from our fears and 
doubts, and salvation flowed down in floods. The preachers and people 
were of one mind and heart touching the great subject of Christian purity. 
I could not tell you how many entered into the rest of perfect love. The 



VICTORIES OF HOLINESS. 



303 



preachers' tent, as at Ennall's Springs, was submerged with the incoming 
tide. Yesterday morning we gathered at the stand, listened to many wit- 
nesses of perfect love, expressed some parting counsels, received the blessing 
of that venerable man, Father Boehm, marched around the ground, and then, 
amid songs and shoutings, took the parting hand, rejoicing in the conviction 
that Christians never part for the last time. 

" Have I not had a glorious summer ? Hallelujah to the Lamb ! My 
soul overflows with love, joy, and praise. I never felt so strong in the Lord 
ahd in the power of His might. And then the victories for holiness ! Op- 
position is giving way, and in the centenary year of American Methodism the 
spotless banner of Christian purity floats triumphantly in the breeze. As 
Mr. Fletcher was wont to say, ' Oh, for a gust of praise to go around the 
world, and then to go up to God !' 

" How I could enjoy Sing-Sing camp-meeting again ! The scene and the 
showers of blessing last year constitute one of the sweetest memories of 
my life. I scarcely know how to deny myself the privilege of seeing those 
friends whom I love so much in Jesus, visiting the spot where last year I 
seemed to be almost visibly covered with the blood of Jesus, and enjoy the 
influence which I am sure will be abundantly poured out. I think, howev- 
er, that during this week I must try to be at Shrewsbury. It seems to nv3 
that the great Head of the Church will perhaps use me among my dear 
Baltimore friends. I think I have their love and confidence, and, with the 
help of the Spirit, I can assist them to step into the Bethesda of perfect love. 
Will you not ask some of my precious friends at Sing- Sing to pray for me ? 
I have no special claim upon them, except that I belong to the little band 
who profess and advocate holiness. I am theirs in the service and for the 
glory of the conquering Christ. Oh, let them pray that God will give me 
great success in spreading abroad the knowledge of full salvation. Only a 
week or two of my rest-time remains. It has been glorious rest at camp- 
meetings — glory to Jesus ! 

" The family are all well. Your little pets, Will and Mary, are de- 
veloping more and more the characteristics which have drawn you to 
them. Will is full of affection, and Mary is the most independent, saucy 
little miss of my acquaintance. Her name is very precious in our home. 
I should like our gentle mother to have her in her training for a time, 
and give her strong will a good profitable direction. God bless you, my 
dearest sister. His counsel is guiding you, His grace will satisfy your 
every need. A universe of love to dear mother. Oh, how much I would 
like to see her ! Tell John to take very good care of himself — his life 
is very dear to us and to the Church. I hope he stands strong and 



3°4 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



triumphant in that wonderful and blessed liberty wherewith I know he 
has been set free." 

For The Christian Advocate of New York : 

"A MINISTER'S VACATION. 
" My happy holiday was spent amid rural scenes, at the sea-shore, and in 
the enjoyment of camp-meeting privileges. The sea-shore is, of course, for 
me a privileged place, a locality to which I regularly resort, with as much 
of tender interest and blessed recollection as others would go to the grave- 
side of a dear parent. The beautiful country, with its diversified and mag- 
nificent scenery, never seemed more charming, and principally because I saw 
and found God every where. For is it not true that as the human face 
is more attractive when it becomes the window of a noble soul, so the face 
of nature seems the more glorious when through the green of the fields, and 
the deeper green of the forests, and the ten thousand hues of the variegated 
flowers, we behold the glory of that Divinity who is Himself the soul of the 
great universe. 

" CAMP-MEETINGS. 

" But it is of my camp-meeting experiences and observations that I wish 
principally to write. In the kind providence of God I was permitted to be 
present at four of these forest services, namely, Penn's Grove, New Jersey ; 
Ennall's Springs, Dorchester County, Maryland ; Halifax, Dauphin County, 
Pennsylvania ; and Shrewsbury, where most of the Baltimore friends annu- 
ally associate themselves in this feast of tabernacles. 

" Two leading facts met my observation at all these meetings. First, the 
interest in the mind of the Church respecting the experience of personal 
holiness. Every where ministers and people were groaning for full redemp- 
tion in the blood of the Lamb. I have seen hundreds at the same moment 
prostrated before God in the spirit of entire consecration, and concerned to 
appropriate Jesus as their full and perfect Saviour. 

"A MEMORABLE SERVICE. 

" Let me refer to a truly memorable service in connection with the Shrews- 
bury meeting. At half-past nine o'clock on Tuesday night the preachers, 
by arrangement, assembled in their own tent for an interchange of views 
respecting this great doctrine. There were about twenty-five brethren pres- 
ent. The expression of sentiment was frank and full. Questions were asked. 
Difficulties were stated. Experience was referred to. About half-past eleven, 
while some of us, greatly concerned and earnestly prayerful, were wondering 



SHREWSBURY CAMP-MEETING. 



what might be the effect of the interview, it was proposed that we have 
a season of devotion before we separated. Kneeling together, the pre- 
siding elder of the Carlisle District led in prayer. While yielding him- 
self afresh and more fully to God, and accepting Jesus as his Redeemer 
from all sin, salvation came in its fullness to his soul, and he was over- 
whelmed with emotion. In a few moments he gratefully and definitely testi- 
fied, ' Brothers, Jesus saves me now, saves me so fully that I am assured if 
I should die at this moment I would certainly go to join the blood-washed 
around the throne in heaven.' A hymn of praise was sung. Then another 
presiding elder stepped into the Bethesda of perfect love. Directly a third 
presiding elder arose and said, ' Brethren, I will honestly state that, theoriz- 
ing on this subject of sanctification for the last eleven years, I had well-nigh 
theorized my heart out of all belief of the doctrine. To-night, however, I 
give my theories to the winds, and I want to testify that God is giving me 
light — not heat, not a special experience, but simply light' A little while 
after this same brother rose again, and, with a face all aglow, said, ' Breth- 
ren, glory to God ! I have both now, the light and the heat. Oh, I know 
for myself that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth me from all sin.' So the 
meeting proceeded, one after another stepping into the full liberty of the 
sons of God. Young ministers were rejoicing in Christ as their perfect 
Saviour. Superannuated brethren were coming out more clearly into the 
blessed light of full salvation. Thus for six hours this wonderful and glo- 
rious meeting continued. During that time nineteen brethren, including the 
three presiding elders, took the three steps suggested — full consecration, 
implicit faith, and definite confession. At half-past three in the morning 
this band of brothers, full of glory and of God, sallied forth from the preach- 
ers' tent, and marched around the ground singing, 

" ' I will sprinkle you with water, 
I will cleanse you from all sin, 
Sanctify and make you holy ; 
I will come and dwell within.' 

Subsequently they became apostles of holiness, and at every opportunity 
exhorted the Church to come up to the measure of their privileges in the 
Gospel of Jesus. Nor in vain, for all over the Shrewsbury camp-ground 
undreds were seeking and large numbers entering into this rest of faith 
and love. 

"MARYLAND METHODISM. 

" O how glorious is old Maryland Methodism, standing up so bravely just 
now in the midst of civil and ecclesiastical disloyalty. For their encourage- 



306 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ment we took occasion to say that the Church of God has nothing whatever 
to fear from without. Earth and hell may combine to accomplish her over- 
throw, but all in vain. Their united efforts shall only be overruled for our 
advantage. The danger of the Chitrch is entirely from within. Losing 
her purity, she loses her power, and in that case becomes the prey of her 
enemies. If, however, I reminded them, they would be faithful to duty 
and alive to privilege, all filled with the Spirit, then God would be on 
their side, and with Omnipotence for them they would surely and gloriously 
triumph. 

"This revival of the doctrine and experience of holiness is in our view 
the most encouraging fact which our centenary year has as yet developed. 

" Let the friends of this great grace rejoice, for the spotless banner of 
Christian purity begins again to float in triumph upon the battlements of 
American Methodism. 

" SANCTIFICATION AND SUCCESS. 

" The second thing which profoundly impressed me in my camp-meeting 
observations was, that whenever and wherever the work of sanctification 
revived among professing Christians, the work of God revived in the con- 
version of sinners. 

" At Penn's Grove the divine influence seemed almost irresistible. As the 
result of the last two services it was estimated that there were at least one 
hundred conversions. The successes at the other meetings were signal and 
glorious. At Shrewsbury they counted up one hundred and twenty-five 
converts. . The intimate and indissoluble connection between the sanctifica- 
tion of the Church and the salvation of the world was most strikingly vindi- 
cated. And is it not always so? Does not God usually communicate his 
Spirit to perishing sinners through the hearts of his people ? Hence the 
necessity of being ' pure in heart ' and ' filled with the Spirit' We have 
taken down our banners from the forests and are setting them up in our sev- 
eral churches. Our Methodist hosts are girding themselves for the fall cam- 
paign. Next month will be the most interesting October of our denomina- 
tional history we have ever seen. Shall it be signalized by unprecedented 
success ? Shall a shout of victory roll up from Canada to the Rio Grande, 
and from the Atlantic to the Pacific ? Shall American Methodism, rebap- 
tized and all glorious with the divine presence, prepare to march down her 
second century conquering and to conquer ? We believe that the answer to 
this question rests with the Church itself. If our people will hold fast in 
theory, realize in personal experience, testify in definite confession, and ex- 
emplify in daily deportment this vital doctrine of Christian holiness, then 
nothing shall stand before our spiritual power. We shall show ourselves 



ADVICE TO BELIEVERS. 



increasingly mighty through God in the pulling down of the strongholds of 
sin and hell, until Christ shall every where reign victorious, and the whole 
earth shall be full of the glory of God. Oh, brother Methodists everywhere, 
remembering our responsibilities, let us be holy /" 

A letter to a prominent citizen of Baltimore, and an active 
layman of the Methodist Episcopal Church in that city, indicates 
the extent to which his services were useful at the Shrewsbury 
meeting, and to which his advice was subsequently sought. 

To Mr. Samuel Hinds, of Baltimore : 

" Philadelphia, September 3, 1866. 

" I thank you for your fraternal letter. Any tidings from Shrewsbury, 
blessed Shrewsbury, would be welcome, but such tidings were specially grate- 
ful and encouraging. 

" Restoration to perfect health, or the reception of an ample fortune in 
the case of a dear friend, ought not to be as cheering intelligence as the fact 
that one we love has by faith appropriated a perfect Saviour, and is living 
in the enjoyment of sanctifying grace. 

" ' Glory to the Lamb,'' that the young men of North Baltimore are putting 
on the whole panoply of God ! Full of the Divinity, and valiant for the 
truth, may they prove themselves mighty in pulling down the strongholds 
of sin and hell. If I had their ear, I would say, with a brother's love and 
earnestness, 'Hold fast to that w hereunto ye have attained? Do not allow 
any temptations or influences to lure you from the experience and profes- 
sion of Christian holiness. For Christ's sake, for the Church's sake, for the 
world's sake, for the sake of this precious doctrine, for the sake of that vir- 
gin purity which is now upon your souls — for all these reasons do, I be- 
seech you, do continue steadfast and immovable, testifying humbly but defi- 
nitely that ' the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin.' 

" Let no one think for a moment that because God has answered his 
prayer, and granted him a deeper work of grace, that therefore he may hope 
for an exemption from trials, temptations, and difficulties. These will come, 
but if we are ' looking unto Jesus they will not move us off the Rock, and that 
is the important matter. In the time of conflict or darkness, be concerned 
about two things. First, Zr my consecration entire? Yes. Second, Do I 
this moment accept and trust in Jesus as my perfect Saviour ? Yes. Then 
I all is well' — I am on the -Rock. The Rock may be in the valley or on the 
hill-top, in the cloud or in the sunshine — it matters not; if we are on that 
sure foundation, all is well. It is not darkness or temptation or trial that 



3 o8 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



separates the soul from God — it is only sin. Let, then, our trusting souls 
adopt as their motto, 'Any thing but sin.' 

"The days I spent at the camp-meeting were among the happiest and 
best of my life. Can I ever forget some of those blessed scenes and sea- 
sons? Sabbath morning — Sabbath evening; Tuesday morning — Tuesday 
night in the preachers' tent ; Wednesday morning, when I so reluctantly 
withdrew myself from those hallowed privileges. Oh ! /remember it all. It 
supplies a rich feast of memory. It constrains at this moment a heartfelt 
glory to the Lamb. I shall never cease to praise God for the Shrewsbury 
camp-77ieeting of 1866. My Baltimore friends, always precious, never seemed 
so dear before. Oh ! I want to walk with them upon the king's highway 
of holiness, and after a while spend an eternity with them in the sweet 
groves of bliss. Convey to any whom you may meet assurances of my 
Christian affection, and believe me, beloved brother, yours for full salva- 
tion: 1 

Another honored layman* of Baltimore, alluding to Mr. 
Cookman's labors at the same camp- meeting, wrote subse- 
quently : 

"I owe more, under God, to Brother Cookman than to any- 
other being for the experience which I now enjoy. His sweet 
voice, ringing out so clearly, l Beye holy] was the first to awaken 
in my mind an anxious inquiry on the subject of Christian holi- 
ness. He led me into the higher life — into the possession of 
a brighter and deeper religious experience. Now that he has 
fallen, I feel more than ever like being true to the doctrine, 
which it seemed his special mission so forcibly to proclaim." 

To his mother : 

"Philadelphia, September 10, 1866. 
" We are comfortably ensconced in our parsonage home after the ram- 
blings of our summer vacation — a vacation which we all exceedingly enjoyed, 
especially myself. Indeed, it was the most delightful holiday of my life. I 
was able to commingle physical, social, intellectual, and especially religious 
pleasures, so that, while it was sweet in realization, it is also blessed in re- 
membrance. Toward its close I found myself at the famed Shrewsbury 
camp-meeting, arriving on a Saturday evening, and remaining till the fol- 
lowing Wednesday. Shall I say that these were the three greatest and 



* Mr. John Hurst. 



AN APOSTLE OF HOLINESS. 



most glorious days of my life ? Yes, not even excepting the blessed season 
we enjoyed at Sing- Sing last year. Indeed, I did not understand or appre- 
ciate before how our Almighty Father could use a worm or a ram's horn for 
the accomplishment of His own most wonderful purposes. I did not com- 
prehend how the possibilities of my feeble being, energized by His power 
and accompanied with His unction, could bring about such glorious results. 
He made me an apostle of holiness. 

"Dr. Roberts, detained at home by the serious illness of a patient, the 
responsibility of cherishing, teaching, and seeking to spread this vital doc- 
trine devolved upon your first-born. Oh, how my blessed Heavenly Father 
helped me ! I was a marvel to myself. The interest was such that the 
largest meeting-tents would not suffice to accommodate those hungering and 
thirsting for full salvation through the blood of the Lamb, and such services 
had to be held at the stand. All over the ground (and there were nearly 
four hundred tents) the dear friends were interested on this subject of heart 
purity. On Tuesday morning I preached a sermon on entire sanctification. 
The illumination and unction vouchsafed were, I think, unprecedented in 
my history. Oh, what power I had in appealing to the preachers ! Hun- 
dreds of interested people bowed in consecration. Then followed the Sacra- 
ment of the Lord's Supper. This seemed to help the faith of the multi- 
tude, and we had a day of days— a day that some will remember long as 
eternal ages roll. That night we held a meeting on the subject in preach- 
ers' tent, especially for the benefit of the brethren in the ministry. About 
twenty-five were present. We commenced at half-past nine o'clock, and 
continued till past three in the morning — nearly six hours. During this 
time nineteen preachers, including three presiding elders, stepped into the 
Bethesda of perfect love. Did you ever hear of any thing so wonderful or 
glorious ? The old preachers, of fifty years' standing, some of whom expe- 
rienced that night for the first time the broad and blessed rest of full salva- 
tion, declared that they had never seen it in that wise before. 

" There were constant inquiries respecting yourself, with the strongest ex- 
pressions of tender love for you and yours. Bless God for our Baltimore 
friends. During the last ten days I have been receiving by almost every 
mail letters from that city asking for my humble services, or expressing 
thanks in view of my labors at the camp-meeting. Labors in my home 
sphere, where the tendency is to worldliness, seem by contrast painfully 
tame and ineffectual. 

" Last week we had the Convention of Southern Unionists in our city — 
a body of brave and noble men. Philadelphia enthusiasm was in a blaze. 
Altogether it was a most memorable occasion." 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



A letter written to his sister, February 15th, 1867, will be read 
with interest because of its references to the deaths of cherish- 
ed friends, especially that of the Rev. Dr. Munroe, Secretary 
of the Church Extension Society of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. It is not too much to say that the whole Church 
shared in the feeling of sorrow here expressed by Mr. Cook- 
man. The letter, which was written soon after from the seat 
of the Conference at Harrisburg, will recall to those who were 
present the tender fidelity which he showed as chairman of the 
committee on memorial services for deceased brethren. The 
beautiful service for rendering the occasion impressive was due 
to his thoughtfulness. The Rev. Dr. Nadal, who was then a 
member of the Philadelphia Conference, made a pleasant al- 
lusion at the time to the occasion in a letter to Mrs. Nadal. # 
The letter which quickly followed to Mrs. Skidmore will be 
chiefly valued as expressing Mr. Cookman's views of a contro- 
versy which was then quite active in the New York Preachers' 
Meeting. 

To Miss Mary Cookman : 

" February 15, 1867. 
" We have had an unusually solemn week. The tribe of Levi, with its 
immediate adherents, seem, in the providence of God, to have been placed 
in the front of the battle. The arrows of death are flying around us thick 
and fast. First the self-sacrificing Beckwith, of the Bedford Street Mission, 
fell, with this sentiment upon his lips, ' I am safe in Jesus — all is well.' 
Last Saturday a daughter of the Rev. William Barnes went to Heaven; her 
last words were, ' 1 have fought a good fight.' Tuesday I made the address 
at the funeral of Helen Batcheldor,t and accompanied the cortege to Trenton. 
Her dying testimony was, ' I see Jesus.' On Wednesday we had the fune- 
ral obsequies of the lamented Munroe, one of the most useful and efficient 
ministers of American Methodism. It was one of the most impressive occa- 
sions of the kind I ever witnessed. Hundreds of ministers, great multitudes 
of people, the deepest bereavement, and the most undisguised affection, the 

* " The New Life Dawning." Nelson & Phillips, New York, 
t Widow of the late Rev. Mr. Batcheldor, of the New Jersey Conference, 
and daughter of the Rev. Dr. Bartinc. 



MEMORIAL SERVICES FOR DECEASED MINISTERS. 31I 



most tender and touching eulogies. Munroe died gloriously. It was virtu- 
ally a translation, while the character of the man and the circumstances of 
his death make the event a sermon addressed to a continent. Personally I 
am greatly bereaved. Dr. Munroe was a great favorite of mine — one of my 
model ministers. My estimate of him is expressed in the resolutions of the 
Philadelphia Preachers' Meeting. Dr. Mattison's address on the occasion 
of the funeral was especially beautiful. I wish you could have heard it. In 
the midst of ' deaths oft' I cling to that perfect love that casteth out all fear, 
sweetly realizing that with my life hid with Christ in God, nothing shall be 
able to separate the bond. All is well — all is well." 

To his wife : 

" Harrisburg, March 15, 1867. 
* * * " This morning we had our memorial service. As one of the com- 
mittee of arrangements, I had, of course, the heavy end of the burden. 
Among other arrangements, I secured from the city some beautiful wreaths 
of immortelles, which encircled the name of the deceased minister, with a 
record of the time of his birth and death. Three ladies, one in each aisle, 
brought them forward at the right time, and they were suspended on the 
wall in the rear of the pulpit. The conception was highly appreciated, and its 
execution was most successfully carried out. This afternoon, with about two 
hundred members of the Conference, I proceeded to Carlisle, where the col- 
lege faculty and students gave us a most enthusiastic reception. I can not 
go into all the particulars now, but it was a splendid time — a literal ovation. 
We returned about half-past six, and now I am writing in the parlor, sur- 
rounded by friends, and obliged every few moments to lay down my pencil 
and respond to affectionate inquiries. To-morrow afternoon, God willing, 
I expect to go to Pittsburgh. This morning's mail brought letters from 

K and Robert S , who are very importunate in their solicitations for 

my presence and services. There is considerable interest, they say, in the 
Christ Church congregation. I am enjoying the Conference exceedingly. 
Our morning prayer-meeting is delightful — full salvation is the theme. 
Glory to the Lamb." 

To Mrs. Skidmore, of New York : 

" Philadelphia, April 2, 1867. 

" When I said farewell to you, I did not intend that three weeks should 
elapse before the transmission of the promised letter. I saw you with my 
mind's eye, a patient invalid confined to the house, and I said if my poor 
words may prove a ray of sunshine to that warm, loving heart, how cheer- 
fully and even joyfully shall they be penned. Conference, however, came 



312 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



on, and, as you will understand (for you know you are about half-preacher), 
its scenes and services were entirely absorbing. Our session was one of 
unusual interest and harmony. The pastor of the Harrisburg Methodist 
Episcopal Church, echoing the desire of a great many dear friends (many 
of them my former parishioners), insisted that I should preach on the first 
evening of the Conference. It was a great trial, and yet, thinking it might 
be in the order of God, I did not dare to refuse. Selecting my favorite 
theme, viz., entire devotion to Jesus, I was blessed with unusual illumina- 
tion and unction. Each morning we held a prayer and experience meet- 
ing. These services, though not very largely attended, were^ seasons of 
great interest and blessing. The friends of holiness rallied (as they always 
do in devotional services), and the testimonies respecting the power and 
preciousness of full salvation were decided and delightful. 

" I spent the Sabbath of Conference with my Pittsburgh friends. Dr. Mor- 
gan had not reached, and would not enter upon his new field of labor before 
the first of April. This was a little to be regretted, as an extraordinary relig- 
ious awakening seemed to pervade the entire community — something akin to 
the revival scenes and successes of 1857 and 1858. The other denomina- 
tions, and some of the Methodist churches, were reaping blessed harvests. I 
preached Sabbath morning and evening, and again on Monday night, leav- 
ing for Harrisburg on the ten P.M. train. A letter received last Saturday 
supplies the grateful intelligence that at least two young men were influenced 
by my feeble words. Oh, how I joy to be instrumental in the great work of 
saving souls ! The authorities (as we expected) have returned me to Spring 
Garden Street the third year. I am delightfully situated and most happy in 
my work. God is using me, as I trust, for the promotion of His kingdom 
and glory. Our Friday meeting is unabated in its interest and power. The 
Tuesday meeting, too, is overflowingly full. Both these services last week 

were unusually precious and profitable. Miss S touched beautifully 

on the importance of bringing this precious grace to the attention of our 
children, relating the experience of a little girl fourteen years of age, 
one of her scholars. Oh, how I wish you could have sat with us in our 
' banqueting-house !' 

" By-the-way, what think you of the articles of Drs. Curry and Mattison on 
the subject of sanctification, published more recently in the columns of The 
Christian Advocate ? It seems to me their tendency is to destroy definite aims 
and discourage distinctive efforts. How grateful we should be that, instead 
of expressing opinions, we can testify to facts that are matters of personal 
consciousness — instead of saying ' We believe,' we can humbly declare ' We 
know.' This expression of different views raises in my mind this practical 



THE MEMORY OF NEW YORK FRIENDS. 313 

inquiry, ' What right have men to be restrained by views concerning spirit- 
ual doctrine, when that doctrine illustrates and vindicates itself in personal 
experience ?' One thing is clear : those who are walking in this light and 
liberty are not perplexed with antagonizing views, but understand one anoth- 
er and enjoy rest. But see ! here I am at the end of my fourth page, and 
just beginning my letter. 

" We had hoped this week to have seen you face to face, and in an old- 
fashioned tete-h-tete traversed a much larger space than could be covered 
even in a lengthy epistle. This, however, seems impracticable. I can not 
very well absent myself next Sabbath. We are hoping that about the time 
of the May anniversaries we can steal away for a few days, and look again on 
cherished faces and familiar scenes that are forever embalmed in our affec- 
tionate remembrance. Our failure to spend Conference week in New York 
involves a disappointment, but it seems unavoidable. Will you not re- 
member us tenderly to any of our friends whom you may see ? In closing 
my letter, allow me to recur to your recent sojourn in our city, and say that 
we enjoyed it more than language can express. To hear your voice in song 
and prayer and testimony called up vividly the blessed past, and, with our 
eyes closed, we could almost imagine ourselves in New York, surrounded 
by as superior a circle of Christian friends as perhaps was ever associated 
together. Oh, if I could I would reach up io-day and every day, and, taking 
a great armful of the heavenly glory, I would fling it on your person and 
path !" 

o 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



SPRING GARDEN STREET CHURCH. — THE NATIONAL CAMP- 
MEETING MOVEMENT. 

Quite early in the Conference year of 1867, the thought oc- 
curred to some of the friends of holiness that it would be wise 
to use the "camp-meeting" as a distinctive means of promoting 
the doctrine. The suggestion met with favor, and a call was 
accordingly issued to those who were inclined to co-operate in 
such a movement to meet in Philadelphia. 

A convention was held in pursuance of this call, and it was 
resolved to hold a camp-meeting at Vineland, New Jersey, with 
the avowed object of advancing the doctrine and experience 
of entire sanctification. Mr. Cookman was one of those who 
signed the call ; he took an active part in the deliberations of 
the Convention ; he sustained by voice and act the conclusions 
at which it arrived, and, when the time for the camp-meeting 
came, no one entered more heartily into its spirit, purpose, and 
methods than he did. His feelings immediately before the camp- 
meeting were freely expressed to his friends and to the Church. 

To Mrs. Skidmore, of New York : 

" Philadelphia, July 2, 1867. 
" We thought to spend Conference week in New York — then our visit 
was postponed till Anniversary week — then a trip to Montreal on the oc- 
casion of the International Convention of the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
ciations was seriously meditated. All these plans, however, were frustrated, 
and, instead of the face-to-face interview, I must satisfy myself in a mere ar- 
tificial and unsatisfactory way. In your severe and protracted ailment we 
have deeply sympathized — our interest, a reflection of the tender love that 
overflows the heart of our faithful Lord. To every body bearing the im- 
print or coming from the direction of New York, the first question has been, 



VINELAND CAMP-MEETING. 



315 



' Have you seen or heard from Sister S ?' ' Is she better ?' So you will 

understand that Philadelphia still answers to its name, ' The city of brotherly 
love? You have doubtless been advised of our Vineland camp-meeting. It 
is rather a bold movement for the friends of holiness, but I believe it is in 
the order of God, and will be accompanied and followed by blessed results. 
Associated with the originators of this enterprise, I can bear a most em- 
phatic testimony to the purity of their motives, and the thoughtfulness, 
care, and earnest supplication to God that characterized all their delibera- 
tions. Indeed, the day we spent together in this city making arrangements 
was one of the blessed days in my life. When we meet I will give you all 
the particulars. 

"Vineland is on the line of the Cape May Railroad, about thirty miles from 
Philadelphia. The grove in which the meeting will be held covers an area 
of forty acres, is just in the suburbs of the town, and is known as the Public 
Park. Used for picnics, temperance gatherings, etc., the undergrowth has 
been cleared away, so that the ground is all ready for our accommodation. 
A population of ten thousand are associated in the settlement, temperate and 
thrifty people, so that there will be no lack of immortal material to reach 
and benefit. The prospects of the meeting are continually brightening. 
Oh, that the great revival of holiness that signalized 1760 might be redu- 
plicated in 1867 ! Oh, that influences might be vouchsafed at and go forth 
from our Vineland meeting that, spreading from society to society, may 
wrap the nation and the world in a great flame of spiritual revival ! 

" Our present purpose is to secure a tent, take a part of the family, and do- 
mesticate in the forest for ten days. Will you not accompany us ? We will 
do all in our power to make you comfortable and happy. If sleeping in the 
woods shall be deemed imprudent in your present condition of health, you 
can have a room at one of the hotels that are in the town adjoining. But I 
think you will agree with me that, unless we work too much, physical recu- 
peration is as probable at camp-meeting as at Saratoga or Cape May. 
Charles Street Church, of Baltimore, will go almost en masse, and their pastor 
is most hopeful of results. 

" By-the-way, writing of Baltimore reminds me of The Episcopal Method- 
ist. Did you see the criticism upon the views and experience of one of your 
former pastors, written by Dr. T. E. Bond, my old friend and former patron ? 
— for the Doctor helped to make me a preacher, and was one of my first and 
wisest counselors. His interest in the subject of personal sanctification at 
hat time, often expressed at our home where he led his class, helped to in- 
rease my desire for what I then began to see dimly and distantly. One of 
is sententious sayings I have carried as an axiom for many years, viz., 



3 i6 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



' Spiritual doctrine like sanctification can not be taught, it must be acquired.'' 
Acting upon this practical suggestion, I trust that with his blessed sister I 
have reached a point where, instead of theorizing or speculating or doubt- 
ing or criticising, I may humbly say that by the grace of God ' I know.' 
The article in The Episcopal did not disturb my spiritual rest for a moment, 
nor did it distantly affect my respect or love for Dr. Bond. My criticism upon 
his criticism is, that I never knew him (one of my favorite writers) to write 
less clearly and satisfactorily." 

To the Rev. J. S. Inskip, of New York : 

"Philadelphia, July 2, 1867. 

" ' Grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied to you and your faithful help- 
meet, our beloved sister in the Lord.' We love you both in Jesus Christ. 
Our affection sanctified has a sacredness in it; and then, unlimited by our 
present life, it is to continue and increase forever. I always liked you, for we 
had common sympathies in the fight for freedom, but now that the perfect 
love of Jesus fills your soul, our hearts are kindred drops. Do you remem- 
ber the holy baptism we received together in Sing-Sing forest, when, through 
the cloudless firmament, the glory of God descending, made the hour forever 
memorable in our history ? Oh, that at Vineland we may realize still more 
sensibly a closer proximity to the true life, and from this blessed source re- 
ceive an unusual supply of life and purity and power ! 

" Our contemplated meeting provokes much less critical comment than I 
had anticipated — at least I have not heard of any unkind animadversions. 
A good deal of interest has been excited in many minds. The Kensington 
friends have organized a company, and will take their large tent. Quite a 
number connected with my congregation are making their arrangements to 
attend. Some members of other denominations will go from our city. Old 
Baltimore will be represented by fifty or sixty of the Lord's chosen ones. I 
think the interest is developing gloriously, and because the Divine is in it. 
Meanwhile I accept your proposition to employ all our powers with God for 
his special blessing upon this unusual effort to promote His glory. Oh, 
that it may be a time of times ! Oh, that, as in 1760, a revival of the work of 
holiness may begin, that, spreading North, South, East, and West, may wrap 
the nation, the continent, and the world in a great flame of devotion to Jesus ! 
Mighty faith in an Almighty Saviour ! Let this be our key-note, and let all 
the people say, Amen ! Brother Osborne has, of course, furnished you with 
all the particulars respecting the location, tent arrangements, etc., etc. Now, 
farewell ! God be with you, and abundantly bless you. After a while we 
are going to live together forever." 



SUCCESS OF VINELAND CAMP-MEETING. 317 

The Vineland camp-meeting began on July 17th, and con- 
tinued for ten days. The supporters of the movement were well 
satisfied with the experiment. Many ministers and laymen 
from all parts of the country attended its services, and the re- 
sults were so marked by the utter absence of all extravagance, 
and the positive fruits of regeneration and sanctification, that 
not only were the originators of the movement confirmed in 
their opinions as to the utility of the method, but many, who at 
the commencement entertained doubts, became thoroughly con- 
vinced. Among those who attended the meeting and partici- 
pated in its exercises were Bishop Simpson and his family. 
The bishop's eldest son was converted there, and the March 
following died in peace. 

In no respect have the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church shown more wisdom than in their promptness to coun- 
tenance all movements in the Church looking to the advance- 
ment either of its moral purity or the more thorough and ef- 
ficient working of its ecclesiastical polity. Bishop Simpson, in 
this instance as in others, did not stand aloof because of the 
possible dangers which might be suggested to calm criticism ; 
but, seeing good and true men honestly engaged in an enter- 
prise which in his opinion was at variance neither with the doc- 
trines nor the usages of Methodism, he gave them his presence 
and co-operation. 

Mr. Cookman was present with his family from the first to 
the last of the meeting, and worked incessantly for its success — 
preaching, praying, exhorting with unusual unction and power. 
His sermon on the occasion, from 1 Thess. iv., 3, "This is the 
will of God, even your sanctification," made a strong impression 
for the clearness and force with which it set forth the definitive 
experience in the interest of which the meeting had been called. 

Such was the success of this meeting in the judgment of the 
friends present, that the question of holding one of like charac- 
ter at some time during the ensuing year thrust itself upon 



3i8 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



them. It appeared that God might be pointing them to a 
broad and permanent means of carrying forward a general re- 
vival of " holiness " in the Church. They accordingly, before 
leaving the ground, after a full and prayerful conference, de- 
termined to hold another meeting the next year, and also form- 
ed an "Association" for its control, and the control of all similar 
meetings which it might be deemed expedient to hold. 

I quote from an article of which the Rev. William McDonald 
is the author : 

"At a business-meeting of those who signed the call for the Vineland 
meeting, met to consider, among other things, the question of holding an- 
other meeting, the ensuing summer, Brother Cookman was present, giving 
his heartiest support to the measure. In that memorable meeting the ' Na- 
tional Camp -meeting Association' was formed. It was born of- prayer. 
The brethren knelt. Brother Cookman prayed with almost unexampled 
fervency, as though a great battle was near, and that victory could only be 
secured through the leadership of the Captain of our salvation — the Lord 
of Hosts. While yet on their knees, the Association was formed, and all the 
business of that meeting was transacted. No one present on that occasion 
will forget how mightily he prayed for God's blessing on the work to which 
he was fully persuaded they had been called from above. 

"Brother Cookman was appointed one of the committee to secure a suit- 
able location for the coming year ; and, on account of his special interest in 
the neighborhood, Manheim, Lancaster, Pa., was selected."* 

Thus was organized a movement which may prove an epoch 
in the history of American Methodism. It certainly marked a 
period in Mr. Cookman's career. He was well and favorably 
known by reputation throughout the Church before ; but his in- 
timate connection with the work of this Association threw him 
personally upon the whole Church, and in contact with many of 
its best representatives, to such extent as to very greatly multi- 
ply his influence. In it God seemed about to answer his prayer 
from the lips of the holy Fletcher, " Oh, for a gust of praise to 
go around the world and then go up to God !" Either by voice 
* Advocate of Christian Holiness, vol. iii., No. I, p. 3, 4. July, 1872. 



NATIONAL CAMP-MEETING ASSOCIATION. 



319 



or report his usefulness, hitherto confined to local limits, was 
about to spread to well-nigh every section of our vast population. 

He felt that for him the opportunity thus afforded was provi- 
dential. God had been making him a light, and now had pro- 
vided him with the stand whence the light could shine to all 
who are in the nation. The National Association did not create 
him, it simply revealed him to the people, and thus made the 
circle of his influence commensurate with his endowments. 
This is the way ordinarily in which God works — circumstances 
do not make men, He makes the men who can understand and 
use the circumstances. As I have previously maintained, Al- 
fred Cookman had a "faculty" for religion — in this respect he 
was as really great as other men who have a faculty for poetry 
or science — and this faculty, partly constitutional, but pre-emi- 
nently supernatural, enabled him to see God's purposes as few 
men could, and, seeing them, to follow whither they pointed. 

Whatever may be said as to the merits of the issue involved 
in the National Camp-meeting Association, it is certain that 
Mr. Cookman was fully committed to its support, and was in 
strict accord with its purpose. The proper presentation of his 
life has to do with the question only so far as his relation to it 
is concerned : and the advocacy of the movement is pertinent 
only so far as the desire is felt to make it appear that he was 
wise in upholding it. The originators of the movement antici- 
pated that it would not meet with universal favor. This could 
not be expected ; for while the whole Christian Church from 
the beginning has never lost sight of the doctrine usually ex- 
pressed by the terms '"'perfection" or "sanctification," yet it 
has been always more or less divided in opinion as to whether 
the state indicated is attainable in the present life ; or, if attain- 
able, whether ever attained ; and, if both attainable and attained, 
whether attained gradually or instantaneously. 

It must be conceded that Wesleyan theology, as expounded 
by Mr. Wesley, Mr. Fletcher, and their immediate successors, 



320 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Messrs. Clarke, Watson, and Bunting, and by the leading divines 
of both British and American Methodism of this day, teaches 
that the experience of entire sanctification may be attained both 
gradually and instantaneously. The preponderance of opinion 
is that, however gradual in any case the work may be, there is 
an instant when the blessing is received, and from which the 
consciousness of the believer may date his entrance into per- 
fect love. The teaching and habit of Methodism have also 
been from the commencement to insist upon this experience as 
the privilege of all believers, and to urge them to its prompt at- 
tainment as the fulfillment of the true ideal of the Christian 
life. To the questions, " Do you expect to be made perfect in 
love in this life ? Are you groaning after it?" Methodist preach- 
ers who are candidates for admission into the ministry are ex- 
pected to answer affirmatively; and Methodism does not recog- 
nize one law of the spiritual life for its ministers, and another 
for its laymen. 

If, therefore, the doctrine of both a gradual and instantaneous 
sanctification be Wesleyan, it certainly can not be regarded as 
anti-Wesleyan to use special efforts to promote it. Methodism 
itself in its rise was a specialty — a revival of primitive Chris- 
tianity — and in its whole work was regarded as a rather irregular 
movement, in that it sought to accomplish its purpose by meth- 
ods apart from ordinary usages. Though demanding of its ad- 
herents no doctrinal test, there never was a system more exact 
in its definition of spiritual truth ; it has declared plainly what 
is heart-religion ; if has invariably aimed at definitive results, 
and has as invariably used definitive means to secure them. 

If there be one foe of Truth and Piety which Methodism by 
its very genius and traditions has fought, it is vagueness of faith 
and practice ; the vagueness which allows spiritual doctrine to 
dissolve into mysticism, sound morality into sentimentalism, 
and decisive methods into a spiritless, aimless mechanism. 
Any thing, Methodism has claimed, but the uniformity of death. 



SPECIAL AIMS AND METHODS, 



321 



It always would have life j it believes there can be no life with- 
out motion : born itself in a blaze of fire, it must spread by cre- 
ating excitement, if that be the only way it can arouse attention. 
Indebted to men and means regarded as irregular for its un- 
precedented growth, it can not cease to cherish those who still 
feel that they may legitimately work for its advancement by and 
even beyond its regular appliances ; comprehensive in its faith 
and polity, it holds that where an object ought to be effected, 
there is a way to* effect it, and that this way is usually the one 
which goes straight to the object and deals specifically with it; 
like all true reforms, it first ascertains and points out the evil 
to be removed, and then seeks the best and surest means of its 
accomplishment. 

All progress proves that general sentiment can not be de- 
pended upon for appreciable results, only as it is concentrated 
and directed to specific ends. Society is lifted up and impelled 
forward by those men who see particular issues in advance of 
their times, and precipitate the virtues of their fellows into con- 
flict to gain them. The great masses of mankind are ever 
prone to a dull level of fair and easy goodness, and would con- 
stantly sink lower and lower, until goodness would lose all 
Christian distinctiveness, all the pathos of devotion, and all the 
vigor of spiritual heroism, were not God to send out now and 
then his prophets, who, moving among them in their fiery zeal 
and stern faith, call them up to a higher and sharper life. 

The danger of creating a "class" will lie against all move- 
ments in the direction of progress, whether in the Church or in 
society. All forms of life spread by organization, and every 
organization which seeks the propagation of any truth, by the 
very fact may be supposed to assume a sort of superiority, and 
thus constitute itself a class. What is the Church in any com- 
munity but the assertion of a moral and spiritual superiority in 
the persons who compose it to the unregenerate people around 
them ? This is the point of offense in the Church with a criti- 

O 2 



322 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



cal outside world, and yet it is not regarded as a valid or avoid- 
able one by those who hold to the belief that the " community 
of the regenerated," or body of believers, are the divine leaven 
which is to spread until it assimilates to itself the entire un- 
believing mass. The law of the diffusion of Christ's king- 
dom is through the intensified lives of the comparatively few. 
Single individuals, or groups of individuals, in whom the Holy 
Ghost has wrought a profounder faith, seem to be the appointed 
reservoirs of a higher life. Christ deposited the mysteries of 
the Kingdom with twelve disciples ; the first Reformers were a 
small band in the Catholic world ; the Moravians a devout 
brotherhood in the Protestantism of Germany; Methodism was 
merely a revival society within the Church of England. Thus 
we have disclosed a wondrous provision for the restoration, 
maintenance, and growth of the doctrinal and spiritual purity 
of the Church. The vindication from the charge of " class in- 
terest " is the fruit produced. 

The whole question with regard to the National Association 
reduces itself simply to one of control. The spirit of Meth- 
odism and its history justify their movement, and it only re- 
mains for them to prosecute their work in accordance with this 
spirit and history. Their separate meetings for conference have 
support in Mr. Wesley's advice : "That consequently it behooves 
us to speak in public almost continually of the state of justifi- 
cation, but more rarely, at least in full and explicit terms, con- 
cerning entire sanctification."* Meetings called especially for 
the purpose give opportunity for carrying out this advice bet- 
ter than promiscuous assemblies. 

It will thus be seen that Mr. Cookman was fully committed to 
the movement. He was far from denying to those who could 
not see their way to espouse its principles and methods of ac- 
tion equal sincerity with himself ; but he was positive in assum- 
ing that it was of God, and that under the divine guidance 
* Watson's Life of Wesley, p. 168. John Mason, London. 



CONTROVERSY ESCHEWED. 



3 2 3 



would render incalculable service ro the cause of Christian 
perfection. He could not, therefore, but regard violent oppo- 
sition to it as an effort to hinder the spread of scriptural ho- 
liness. 

The National Camp-meeting Association has from its incep- 
tion eschewed controversy. It has sought to do its work by as- 
suming that the doctrine of entire sanctification is both scriptur- 
al and Wesleyan. already the established theory of the Church, 
and needed only to be explained, enforced, and realized — and 
so has striven in a quiet spirit to accomplish its end. In this 
respect and in one other — having originated without pre-con- 
ceived plan — it bears close resemblance to the rise of Meth- 
odism itself. The Rev. George Hughes, secretary of the com- 
mittee, in a " Special Request" to the adherents of the Associa- 
tion, used these words : 

" The ' National Association for the Promotion of Holiness,' having its or- 
igin, as we believe, in Divine Providence, is a very simple organization. It 
has no Constitution or By-Laws. Its members are bound together by 
bonds of love and prayer. Xo organization, perhaps, ever transacted so 
much business on their knees. It is composed of ministers of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, but is by no means sectarian in its aims. Its primal 
object was to awaken a deeper interest in the Methodist Church in regard 
to this cardinal doctrine of Christianity, and expressly to be instrumental in 
leading ministers and members to the experience of this rich grace ; and the 
great Head of the Church has been pleased to give them abundant success 
in both of these departments. But not for the Methodist Church alone do 
they labor — but for the universal Church, and Providence has opened 4 great 
and effectual doors' beyond our own limits. Other churches have been 
feeling the influence of national camp-meetings, and the sacred fire is burn- 
ing upon many altars."* 

In closing this " Request/' he urged united prayer, that on 
the day of the Association's annual meeting "such a baptism 
may fall upon every one assembled as will lead the members 
of the Association to prove, as never before, the enduring power 
of perfect love — a love that endureth all things; and that with 



* Methodist Home Journal, Philadelphia, October 12, 1S72. 



324 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



meekness and quietness, under all circumstances, they may pur- 
sue their way ; and, further, that they may be wisely directed in 
their plans for 1873." 

No society was ever more in accord with primitive Christian 
custom as to its origin and organization, or could be more sim- 
ple and exact in its aim, or more thoroughly Catholic in its ani- 
mating spirit. While all the godly men, thus banded together, 
harmonized upon these truly scriptural principles of action, 
it may yet be clearly seen that Mr. Cookman had no small 
share in their adoption and maintenance. Sufficient extracts 
have been given from his letters, and many more might be given 
from his unpublished manuscripts, to show that he deprecated 
" controversy," as not suited to promote the work of sanctifl- 
cation. He preferred to rest the doctrine, after an honest effort 
to set it forth, upon the self-evidencing claim with which it ap- 
peals to all earnest believers — showing itself by its own light 
as well suited to meet the sense of need which the Holy Spirit 
awakens in all believing hearts. The Pauline method was his : 
" By manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every 
man's conscience in the sight of God." This course sound 
judgment dictated to him ; but much more that broad, pure 
charity in which he lived. Love evolved the light in which and 
with which he saw all religious questions. 

A quotation from the Rev. Mr. Inskip, President of the Asso- 
ciation, is pertinent just here : 

" I want to advert to his intimate relations with the National Camp-meet- 
ing Association. He attended the first meeting, and he was on his knees 
leading in prayer with his brethren when God's Spirit impressed them to 
hold such a meeting. All the work of arranging for the services of that 
meeting was done while kneeling, and then we took hold of hands and 
promised, with God's help, to carry on the work, and never answer any 
thing that was said against us. That covenant has been unbroken, and re- 
membered with more interest because he has gone who suggested such a 
course."* 



* Methodist Home Journal, September 7, 1872. 



MOTIVES OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE. 325 



The counsel of Mr. Wesley, with regard to the spirit of teach- 
ing holiness, had evidently sunk deep into his heart, and un- 
doubtedly had much to do with the sweet and kindly policy 
which he recommended to the Association : 

" Does not the harshly preaching perfection tend to bring be- 
lievers into a kind of bondage or slavish fear? 

" It does. Therefore we should always place it in the most 
amiable light, so that it may excite only hope, joy, and desire."* 
Eager as Mr.'Cookman was to avail himself of the opportu- 
nity of personal effort under the auspices of the Association, 
and deeply as he felt his obligations to the delightful fellow- 
ships into which it introduced him, and which were so signally 
helpful to his growth in perfect love, he after all prized the 
movement more for its general aspects, as a grand agency 
raised up without respect to individuals for the spread of holi- 
ness in America. It was originated for the furtherance of what 
he regarded as the " pearl of doctrines," and he believed that 
it would lead the Church up to a higher standard of faith and 
living, and so fulfill God's will. As late as September, 1870, he 
wrote in reference to his associates and himself in connection 
with the " committee 

" Our motives are pure, our work providential, our success of 
God. Still there are some who would hinder the spread of 
scriptural holiness. Be it so. God is our judge, and in heaven 
we shall have our reward. It would have been much easier to 
spend my vacation of thirty days in resting at Cape May or 
some other place than in hard ministerial toil." 

Mr. Cookman's attendance upon the Vineland camp-meet- 
ing, and identification with the National Association, did not 
abate his zeal for the camp-meetings held under the ordinary 
auspices of the Church. The summer of 1867 found him on 
his customary rounds to these favorite resorts. His vacation, 
as heretofore, was spent in incessant labor. A letter to his 
* Watson's Life of Wesley, p. 171. John Mason, London. 



326 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



wife from Ennall's Springs camp-ground, Dorchester County, 
Md., is an index to the whole. 
To his wife : 

" Ennall's Springs Camp-ground, Monday morning. 
"This morning's sermon has just now closed, and I will take this oppor- 
tunity to redeem my promise of a letter. Interested in all that concerns 
me, you will want to know respecting my progress since our farewell on the 
Susquehanna. The train took me first to York. After the lapse of an 

hour we started again, and reached Baltimore about six P.M. Dr. H 

and son were waiting for me. Quartered at his home, I received every at- 
tention and kindness. During the evening I called on a number of friends, 
sat up till midnight, and the following morning was driven in the Doctor's 
carriage to the steam-boat. There were a number of friends on board — 
Revs. Clemm, French, S. Evans, Tomkinson, and also a good many Balti- 
more friends. The sail was delightful, the dinner excellent, and at half-past 
two P.M. Sherman's Landing was reached. Brother Robert Thompson's 
carriage was waiting. Taking our seats, we had a pleasant ride, and met 
on the ground a most enthusiastic welcome. * * * The tents and arrange- 
ments of the camp-ground are the neatest, coziest, and most comfortable I 
have ever seen. Brother R. Thompson has his two-story home prettily 
furnished with tasteful cornice and curtains and blinds. It is the most 
perfect cottage I have ever seen. Yesterday there was a great multitude 
of people assembled here. The weather having changed to a bright 
and beautiful day, Brother Clemm preached in the morning on ' I am not 
ashamed,' etc. I preached in the afternoon on ' From him that hath not 
shall be taken away even that which he hath.' The large congregation was 
quiet and singularly attentive. I trust good was accomplished. There are 
not more than eight or ten preachers on the ground, but more will come to- 
day and during the week. There is great deadness among the members, 
and thus far comparatively little has been accomplished. I led the eight 
o'clock prayer-meeting this morning. We had a profitable meeting. Vine- 
land formed such a contrast that it makes every thing else seem tame. We 
are treated here like kings and queens. Yesterday at dinner, roast goose, 
fried chickens, barbecued chickens, roast lamb, ham, potatoes, squashes, cu- 
cumbers, beets, corn, jellies, pickles, etc., etc. On Thursday I want to re- 
turn to Baltimore, look in on the Waters camp-ground, and on Monday eve 
return to Columbia. When you write to our dear boys give them a father's 
love. Remember me affectionately to all at home. Kiss the children for 
me." 



A HAPPY SUMMER. 



327 



A sister-in-law, writing to his mother, Mrs. Mary Cookman, 
September 9, 1867, says: "Alfred looks remarkably well; he 
weighs now one hundred and sixty-seven pounds. He says he 
thinks this has been the happiest summer of his life, and that 
he has been fully rewarded for what many persons would call 
labor." 

To his wife : 

" Philadelphia, Saturday morning. 

" I do not know that this will reach you before Monday morning, when 
you start for Philadelphia ; nevertheless it may, and I know it will be satis- 
factory to hear from the ' Itinerant? 

" Last evening I returned from the Eastern Shore. To say that I had a 
delightful or glorious time only feebly expresses the truth. I was received 
and treated almost as if I had been an angel. It was one of the happiest 
and best weeks in my life. There were about one hundred tents, beautiful 
weather, fine congregations, good preaching, and great success. I preached 
twice (Tuesday morning and Thursday evening), and worked hard all the 
time. My soul was in heaven. Oh, what precious experiences God vouch- 
safed me in that consecrated grove, and how wonderfully, how unusually he 
used me ! This week I think surely I have been in the order of God. With 
the religious there was great social enjoyment. Last night, wearied out, 

having lost sleep and my voice, I reached home safely. C had been 

very careful and faithful. After my Friday-evening meeting I went to bed, 
and oh, what sleep ! I did not wake until eight o'clock this morning. 
Now I am ready for another start. I regret that we can not get to Shrews- 
bury for a day or two, but such a visit, under the circumstances, seems im- 
practicable. The weather is cooler, and the friends are beginning to re- 
turn to the city." 

To Mrs. Skidmore, of New York : 

" Grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied unto you. Separation and dis- 
tance fail to affect the family relationship. In New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
or New York, on earth or in heaven, we are brother and sister still. I have 
had a glorious summer campaign. Vineland was, as you know, quite in 
the verge of heaven, and had only one disadvantage — it made every other 
service seem tame by comparison. At EnnalFs we had a blessed victory 
for God. At Waters', near Baltimore, the battle was progressing gloriously 
when I left on Tuesday. Andrew and Mrs. K , fully girded, were win- 
ning trophies for Jesus. I heard Andrew preach on Monday very delight- 
fully from, 'And Enoch walked with God.' " 



CHAPTER XIX. 



SPRING GARDEN STREET CHURCH. — THE DEATH OF GEORGE 
COOKMAN AND OF ALFRED BRUNER COOKMAN. 

The unremitting pastor had hardly rested from the evangel- 
istic labors of the summer, when one of the heaviest calamities 
of his life fell upon him in the sudden death of his brother 
George, which occurred October i, 1867. From the time of 
his conversion Mr. George Cookman had been one of the most 
active Christian men in Philadelphia. Sympathizing with the 
catholic spirit which prevailed at the time of his conversion, he 
threw himself not only into the work of his own Church, but 
also into the general religious work of the city. His talents 
and piety were speedily recognized ; and by the suffrages of all 
Christians he became an acknowledged leader among the young 
men of the community. He was elected to succeed Mr. George 
H. Stuart to the presidency of the Young Men's Christian As- 
sociation, over which he presided with eminent success. On 
the occasion of his inauguration he delivered an address which 
showed him possessed of the native eloquence of the family — 
an eloquence which would have fitted him to shine in any pro- 
fession which he might have chosen for a vocation. The ring- 
ing call of his peroration doubtless still lingers in the memory 
of many who were present : 

" Pulaski, one of the brave Poles who espoused the American cause, and 
to whom, as well as Kosciusko, our country owes almost an incalculable 
debt, in one or two instances turned the fortunes of war against our enemies 
by uttering his habitual cry of ' Forward, brethren, forward !' here and there 
and every where, in the thickest of the fight. The failing strength of the 



MR. GEORGE COOKMAN'S ACTIVITY. 



329 



American soldier was often revived, and his arm nerved with new vigor, as 
he heard the inspiring voice of the undaunted general above the din of bat- 
tle — ' Forward, brethren, forward !' 

" Young men of this association — young men of Philadelphia — brothers 
beloved in the Son of God, to-night I re-echo that battle-cry, and shout, For- 
ward, brethren, forward ! Forward, because God hath loved us. Forward, 
because Christ hath died for us. Forward, because the world, perishing, ap- 
peals to us. Forward, because the crown of life awaits us, and a seat at 
God's right hand, where our pleasure is for evermore. 

" Forward, brothers, forward !" 

As a Methodist, Mr. George Cookman was highly esteemed. 
He filled important trusts successively in the Green Street, 
Union, and Arch Street Stations. He was one of the founders 
of the powerful and prosperous Arch Street Church, having 
been the first superintendent of its Sunday-school when origi- 
nally held in a hall, not far from the present site of the church. 
As showing his capabilities as a Christian worker, let the fol- 
lowing extract speak : 

" Connecting himself with the Church, he became at once an active and 
faithful young Christian. His great regret, often expressed, was that he had 
not started sooner, and, that he might redeem the time, he gave himself to 
every good word and work. 

" Literally wedded to the Arch Street Methodist Episcopal Church en- 
terprise, he was superintendent of the Sunday-school, a trustee, a steward, a 
class-leader, an exhorter, and leader of Church music. Besides this he was 
an ex-president of the Young Men's Christian Association of Philadelphia, 
a manager of the American Sunday-school Union, a manager of the Phila- 
delphia Tract Society, treasurer of the Pennsylvania Sunday-school Asso- 
ciation, and in all these departments of enterprise evinced the greatest in- 
terest and activity."* 

The root from which all this official responsibilty and honor 
grew was one of deep, genuine, personal piety. 

Writing to his mother as far back as 1863, he said : 

" I believe, dear mother, that I am growing in grace and in the knowledge 
and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. I find religion to be all that I expected 



* Methodist Home Journal, October, 1867. 



330 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



of it, and infinitely more. Christ grows increasingly precious to my poor 
heart ; I find Him a satisfying portion, and realize a joy and comfort which 
the world can neither give nor take away — and I feel to exclaim, in the lan- 
guage of the hymn we sometimes sing, 

" 'Oh, that the world might taste and see 
The riches of His grace ; 
The arms of love that compass me, 
Might all mankind embrace !' " 

The death of this Christian man, though sudden, was not 
without premonitions. His health had been precarious for some 
time, but immediate danger was not apprehended. He lived, 
however, in constant preparation for death, by living in constant 
devotion to God and duty. He was almost literally translated 
from the scenes of his earthly activity and joy. 

" During the last few months of his life his experience has been deep- 
ening. He stated in a social meeting held lately that he had more fully 
consecrated himself to God, and had had a new and charming view of the 
cross. 

" His death was sudden. This, indeed, seems to have been according to 
his own desire ; for, in conversation with a Christian friend recently, he ex- 
pressed a preference for sudden rather than a lingering death. He also de- 
sired to die peacefully in his bed, and that his wife should be near by to see 
him breathe his last — all which, by the will of a kind Providence, was liter- 
ally fulfilled. 

" About an hour before his death he was seated at the melodeon singing 
a Sabbath-school melody found in Bradbury's 'Fresh Laurels.' He entered 
with his whole soul into the spirit of the piece, and greatly admired the ex- 
quisite music that accompanied the words. The hymn was so singularly 
and touchingly appropriate to the scene that was so soon to follow that we 
give it entire : 

" ' Oh, I sec the shining angels 

Gathering round my dying bed ; 
With their harps and crowns of glory, 

Thus a faithful mother said ; 
While celestial songs were ringing 

Through the heavenly courts above — 
Seraphs came from glory, bringing 

Blessed words of peace and love. 



SUDDEN AND VICTORIOUS DEATH. 



331 



" ' Chorus. — When I near death's stormy billow, 

And earth's scenes no more can see ; 

When I press my dying pillow, 
Will the angels come to me ? 

Will they come, will they come, 
Will the angels come to me ? 

" 1 Oh, how sweet to feel their presence 
In the hushed and silent room ; 
With their bright and shining faces 

Gilding all the dusted gloom ! 
When from loved friends I have parted, 

And their tears are flowing free ; 
When from Jordan's banks I've started, 
Will the angels come for me ?' 
" After singing these beautiful words he went up to his chamber to realize 
their sentiments in a dying experience. Like Enoch, ' he was not, for God 
took him: "* 

Many were the private and public tributes to the worth of 
one so singularly pure and useful. The Young Men's Christian 
Association held a souvenir meeting in Horticultural Hall, Oc- 
tober 13th, at which addresses were delivered by Revs. E. R. 
Beadle, D.D., and T. M. Griffiths, and by Messrs. P. B. Simons, 
George W. Mears, James White, George H. Stuart, and John 
B. Gough. The " Commercial Exchange," of Philadelphia, of 
which he was the secretary, called a special meeting, at which 
appropriate speeches were made by the president, Mr. Howard 
Hinchman, and others, and suitable resolutions were adopted, 
highly commendatory of the virtues of the departed merchant 
and friend. 

Wide and deep as was the sorrow felt at the loss of a layman 
uniting so many qualities of the Christian, the gentleman, and 
the business man, it could do but little to conduct from the 
heart of Alfred the ache which settled upon it. Rarely had two 
brothers been so joined from boyhood ; and, subsequent to 



* Methodist Home Journal, 1867. 



332 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



George's conversion, their fellowship had been of the most in- 
timate and intense character. There was the most perfect nat- 
ural and spiritual kinship — they thought, felt, and acted togeth- 
er ; and when the one fell it was like tearing from the survivor 
his other half, the complement of himself. 

His own letters will best describe his feelings. 

To the Rev. A. Longacre, then pastor of Charles Street 
Methodist Episcopal Church, Baltimore : 

"Philadelphia, October 15, 1867. 

* * * « You have doubtless heard of our great sorrow. I mourn the loss 
of one of the sweetest and best of brothers. The earthward side of this dis- 
pensation is desolate beyond expression. I find my soul, however, singing, 

" 'Jesus, brother of my soul, 
Let me to Thy bosom fly.' 

"There I hide with my crippled wing, and realize the comfort that the 
Divinity supplieth. This is the tenth letter I have written this morning. 
Wearied, I can not write more. Pray for me." 

To Mrs. Skidmore, of New York : 

" Philadelphia, October 29, 1867. 

"Your kind letter was most grateful to our afflicted hearts. Christian 
sympathy, always beautiful in our view, never seemed so charming or valu- 
able as during this eventful October — indeed, I never understood or appre- 
ciated its preciousness before. May our prayer-hearing Lord bless abun- 
dantly and eternally every dear friend whose lips have breathed or whose 
actions have evinced interest and love in this time of our family bereave- 
ment. God sparing my life, I propose to prize more than ever before the 
privilege of addressing gentle, loving words to those who are staggering un- 
der heavy burdens of trial and sorrow. I need not say to you that I have 
lost a precious brother. Very nearly of the same, age, we were playmates 
in childhood, companions in youth, confiding, affectionate, and devoted 
brothers through life. Made instrumental in dear George's conversion 
about nine years since, that fact seemed to give increased strength and sa- 
credness to the tie that united us. 

" During my present pastorate, I have not only had his frequent co-oper- 
ation in many of our means of grace, but have enjoyed the privilege of 
spending a part of every Monday at his home. After dining together, we 
would sit for an hour, living over the past, referring to present interests and 



THE EARTHWARD AND HEAVENWARD SIDE OF DEATH. 333 



experiences, or unfolding our plans for the future. Now all this is over for 
this world — not forever ! Blessed be God, our life has a future as well as a 
past. We knelt at the same mother's knee — aye, and we shall kneel with 
that same mother and our glorified father in the presence of the enthroned 
Jesus. We sported in our boyhood on the same lawn — aye, and we shall, 
in our immortal youth, roam together the 

" ' Blest fields on the banks of life's river, 
And sing of redemption forever and ever.' 

Our present separation is only a parenthesis in our fraternal intercourse. 
In a little while it shall be resumed, with no prospect or possibility of inter- 
ruption. George died well ! Death found him at his post, faithfully dis- 
charging his duties. He worked while it was day, and did his work with his 
might. During the last few months of his life he was greatly interested re- 
specting his full privilege as a Christian. Attending the International Con- 
vention of the Young Men's Christian Associations, held in Montreal last 
May or early in June, he seized the opportunity to make a fresh and an 
entire consecration of himself to God, and was blessed (as he afterward 
testified) with a new view of the cross. After this, and until the close of his 
career, his life was beautiful and fragrant with the precious plants of the 
Christian graces. 

" The Wednesday evening before he died he stood up in an experience- 
meeting, and remarked that he was physically feeble and could not say much, 
but his experience might be expressed in that beautiful stanza, 

" ' 'Tis Jesus, the First and the Last, 

Whose Spirit shall guide me straight home ; 
1*11 praise Him for all that is past, 
And trust Him for all that's to come.' 

" I could thus fill pages with blessed reminiscences. Death has an earth- 
ward side. I never understood that so well as now. Sometimes during the 
last four weeks, when I have entered his former home or stood by his newly 
made grave, and thought of my earthly deprivation, I have realized a sense 
of desolation that has quite unmanned me. My relief and consolation is in 
mounting to the heavenward side. In that direction the brightness and the 
attraction increase. The line, ' Praise Him above, ye heavenly host,' never 
meant so much or seemed so sweet as now. You know I have always been 
your attached brother, but since this sudden bereavement I feel more closely 
drawn to you than ever, for I am reminded that an almost identical experi- 
ence in the loss of your beloved sister prepares you to understand the 
greatest trial of my life. We sit together at the Master's feet, and realize a 



334 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



new sympathy in the same difficult lesson which the providence of God has 
appointed for our development and advantage. But perhaps I am presum- 
ing upon your interest in our family sorrow. If so, you will understand and 
generously excuse me." 

To the Rev. A. Longacre, of Baltimore : 

"Philadelphia, November 1,1867. 

"I thank you for your kind letter. May Heaven abundantly recompense 
you for all your affectionate words. I know the deep love that subsists 
among the members of your father's family, and in this matter recognize the 
resemblance between our households to which you refer. May our gracious 
Lord keep your happy circle unbroken for many years. Knowing your fam- 
ily nearly all my life, and intimately associated with some of you for a num- 
ber of years, I feel a more than ordinary nearness and interest and love. 

" How gladly I would respond to your wishes, and spend a week in that 
part of the vineyard you are appointed to cultivate ! Unfortunately, how- 
ever, for such an arrangement, I have engaged to be in Poughkeepsie on the 
10th of November, and to assist in dedicating Brother Thompson's new 
church, Germantown, on the 17th. Thus my Sabbaths for the present 
month are all filled up. I rejoice to hear of your continued prosperity. 
May God send you a steady rain until, every plant refreshed, your interesting 
charge shall be as a well-watered garden rich with the beauty and fragrance 
of heaven. 

" Dr. and Mrs. Palmer conclude to-day their labors at Central. I have at- 
tended some of their morning services. The audiences have been small — not 
nearly so large as at their afternoon and evening meetings — but the influ- 
ences have been most gracious. On Friday last God vouchsafed us a sea- 
son of great interest and power. Your beloved sister had wonderful access 
in prayer — indeed, it was the testimony of her friends present that they never 
heard her as on that occasion." 

To the Rev. A. Longacre, of Baltimore : 

"Philadelphia, November 15, 1867. 
" Sincerely disposed to heed your Macedonian cry, I am nevertheless con- 
siderably embarrassed respecting a decision. On the first Sabbath of this 
month Dr. Wentworth preached for me during the day. Last Sabbath I 
was in Poughkeepsie. Next Sabbath Dr. Kynett, or one of the bishops, 
will take my Church Extension collection. Three Sabbath mornings out 
of my pulpit. Then on the first Sabbath of December, the day of our Com- 



WILLINGNESS TO HELP. 



335 



munion, Brother G. Hughes expects to preach and take the Freedmen's col- 
lection. I do not see how I can very consistently absent myself before the 
latter part of December, and that is so close on the holiday season that most 
probably it would be an inopportune time for the object that you contem- 
plate. These are just my circumstances, and I state them the more frankly 
because I know that, as a pastor yourself, you can understand and appreciate 
them. 

" We had a most delightful visit to Xew York and Poughkeepsie — saw 
many cherished friends — were refreshed at the Tuesday meeting — praise the 
Lord ! Rev. Xewman Hall has been in our city, interesting and impressing 
large congregations. If he visits Baltimore, you will do well to secure him 
for one of your services. Last night we had the anniversary of the Young 
Men's Christian Association — a magnificent audience and a splendid time. 
Dr. Hall, of Xew York, recently of Dublin, made the speech of the evening. 
Revs. E. Clark, of Xew Haven, and Phillips Brooks were the other speakers. 
The occasion was a grand success. 

"Mrs. Simpson, I understand, is on her way home with Charles. The 
Western tour has been of little service, and the dear fellow, as we judge, re- 
turns to die. I refer to these items because I know they will interest you. 
My soul, this morning, is sweetly resting in Jesus. Oh, is it possible that I, 
so insignificant and unworthy, should be lifted above angels and archangels, 
and be indulged with a resting-place in the bosom of Infinite Love ! I can 
only wonder and adore. God bless you, my precious brother. How I could 
enjoy a few days with you at Charles Street ! Perhaps our kind Heavenly 
Father, the God of providence and grace, may open the way, and situate us 
side by side on the battle-field." 

To the Rev. A. Longacre. of Baltimore : » 

"Philadelphia, November 19, 1867. 
" I hasten to reply to your urgent request. Next week will bring our annual 
Thanksgiving. The preparation of an appropriate discourse will take some 
of the preceding days, so that absence from home will be impracticable. Re- 
specting the first week in December, I can not write very certainly, for we 
are holding ourselves in readiness for extra services at any moment. Most 
of the charges around are engaged in protracted meetings, some with a good 
measure of success. At Central the good seed sown is producing fruit. 
Oh, how gladly would I gratify you in the wish you express ! I understand 
and appreciate your importunity, and only regret that my circumstances 
should make it necessary. God bless you, my darling brother. You do not 
know how dear you are to my heart If my meeting does not begin, and I 



33^ 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



can advantageously serve you for two or three evenings week after next, I 
will cheerfully make the effort to be with you." 

"Philadelphia, November 29, 1867. 
"Dear Brother Andrew, — This has been a most trying week. The 
preparation of a Thanksgiving sermon and a speech besides was enough to 
fill up my mind. In addition to this we have had our home overflowing 
with company, and an importunate committee from Brooklyn, begging me 
to accept the pastorate of the new St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church. 
A mind full of suspense and hands full of pressing work. This is my apol- 
ogy for not replying more promptly to your letter. On Monday we have a 
meeting of our Camp-meeting Committee in this city. I think I can not 
come to Baltimore next week. If I see my way clear for the week after, I 
will let you know. Oh, what would I not give for a face-to-face tete-a-tite 
with you to-day ! I want so much your good judgment to help me decide 
some questions connected with my next year's pastoral destination." 

" Philadelphia, December 4, 1867. 
" Dear Andrew, — Every morning of this week so far I have resigned 
myself to the tender mercies of Dr. Kingsbury, the dentist ; nevertheless, I 
have commenced an extra meeting, and am engaged every night in leading 
or striving to lead the flock nearer the fountain of spiritual power and bless- 
ing. How I will be situated next week I can not definitely say ; but if any 
religious interest develops here, I can not, of course, leave the home work. 
The Brooklyn transfer can not disturb you as it has perplexed and annoyed 
me. I thought I was anchored in my mother Conference— had no wish or 
idea of leaving — doors were opening — my humble services were in some de- 
mand, when, lo ! the new St. John's Church, through their committee, makes 
a most unanimous and earnest request for my transfer and appointment. I 
have virtually declined — said every thing in opposition, every thing but an 
emphatic l No? This I have hesitated to express, lest I might be taking my 
lot. too much in my own hands. Bishop Janes holds the whole matter under 
advisement. Be very sure I do not want to leave Philadelphia. The Camp- 
meeting Committee turn toward Lancaster County as perhaps the most cen- 
tral and desirable location for next year's meeting." 

If any one is tempted to regard the life of the popular city 
pastor as one of delicious ease, free from care and perplexity, 
running like a summer stream through a grassy meadow, let him 
ponder the above letters, and this of the same season. 



A CITY PASTOR'S CARES. 



337 



To his sister, Miss Mary Cookman : 

" I fully intended writing last week, but my duties multiplied and became so 
urgent that it was simply impossible. Really I have a great deal to do ; ev- 
ery day brings me letters asking for different kinds of service, and these have 
to be answered. Sermons must be prepared, various meetings attended, and 
the interests of a large family supervised, besides a great deal of outside and 
irregular work. All this burdens my brain, and sometimes terribly troubles 
my soul. I do not know what I should do if I could not cast my burden on 
the Lord, and plead His own precious promise, ' Lo, I am with you alway.' 

" But I did not mean this personal experience when I commenced my let- 
ter. I thank you for your sisterly epistle. All your sentiments of true, warm 
love are fully reciprocated. I deeply appreciate and sincerely praise God 
for your undisguised confidence and tender affection. Blessed with many 
true, kind friends, I always feel that there are a few hearts on which I may 
lean with the most implicit trust, and yours is one of that small number. 
May our faithful and loving Heavenly Father continue to bless you with 
every needful temporal and spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. 

" It was encouraging to hear that my humble efforts in Poughkeepsie 
were appreciated by the people. Certainly we enjoyed beyond expression 
the two days we were permitted to spend in John's parish. Aside from 
every thing else, the society of our beloved mother furnished a feast for our 
affectional nature. It is enough to sit in her presence and live over the 
eventful years that have irrevocably passed. The privilege always makes 
me feel the deprivation we suffer in our present separation. Xever mind. 
In a little while we will sit down together in the heavenly home, and enjoy 
each other with no prospect or fear that our happy intercourse shall ever 
again be interrupted. Heaven is coming nearer, and growing more attractive. 

" Last week, with Saide and Annie, I visited dear George's grave. It is a 
hallowed spot — one of the most sacred to me in all the world. Oh, with 
what thoughts and feelings did I linger near the lifeless remains of that 
sweetest of brothers ! My sense of loss for a moment came upon me over- 
whelmingly, for there was no one of my own sex that loved me so tenderly 
as that dear man. We lived in one another's smile, and those smiles inter- 
mingling, threw blessed sunshine on life's pathway. His spirit seems almost 
constantly with me, but at his grave I felt that both body and spirit were 
near, and I almost communed as in the former time. Laurel Hill ! blessed 
hill ! My Pisgah now from whence I look over to the graveless land." 

Laurel Hill was within the next few months to become even 
more sacred and precious, by reason of others who should be 

P 



33§ 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



gathered to its silent bosom. In the spring following he was 
called as the pastor of Bishop Simpson's family to stand by the 
dying bed of their son, Mr. Charles Simpson, and to administer 
to him and to them the consolations which now more than ever 
experience had taught him to understand. He had seen its 
embrace receive his ministerial friends Munroe, Heston, and 
Brainard, his young friend Simpson, his child Rebecca, his broth- 
er George ; but the grave was yet unsatisfied, and the demand 
soon came for one even nearer and dearer than all the rest. 
His eldest son, Bruner, who had so long struggled with disease, 
and who at times had given signs of improvement with the hope 
of ultimate recovery, at last succumbed to the destroyer. The 
brave boy died March 2d, 1868. Thus the shadows thickened 
around the devout pastor and his family. Yet in the deepest 
darkness he retained his cheerfulness; under all the suffering 
his spirit — as grapes when pressed give forth the invigorating 
juice — seemed to grow in saintliness both as to intrinsic depth 
and visible influence. 

" The darts of anguish fix not 
Where the seat of suffering is thoroughly fortified 
By acquiescence in the will supreme." 

The following "Biography of a Good Boy" was written by 
Mr. Cookman, and afterward published by request in the Meth- 
odist Home Journal, and is so creditable alike to father and son, 
and so well adapted to benefit the youthful readers of this vol- 
ume, that I insert it almost, entire : 

"BIOGRAPHY OF A GOOD BOY. 
" Our precious son, Alfred Bruner Cookman, brought to our home great 
joy, and for nearly sixteen years was a constant satisfaction and comfort. 
If there is such a thing as natural goodness, he seemed to be its fortunate 
possessor. His instincts were all in the direction of virtue and propriety. 
Strictly conscientious, we never heard of his uttering either a profane or an 
obscene word. No one ever suspected him of any thing like falsehood. 
As our memory serves us now, we can not recall a single act of disobedience 



ALFRED BRUNER COOKMAN. 



339 



to his parents. In the family circle he stood as a faithful little monitor, con- 
stantly careful respecting the morals, habits, manners, and appearance of 
his brothers and sisters. Naturally dignified and thoughtful, he impressed 
all by his quiet movements, his perfect politeness, and his singular sense of 
propriety. 

" With these superior qualities of character he associated fine intellectual 
characteristics. His feeble health, extending through a number of years, 
had hindered somewhat his literary culture, nevertheless few boys of his age 
had read so much. He w r as a voracious reader. Sometimes we would 
chide him for his application to his book, and had literally to drive him into 
other exercises. 

« i n the use of his pencil he evinced great taste and skill. An amateur 
artist of Philadelphia, after looking at some of his productions, congratulated 
us on his superior talent, suggesting that it furnished promise of future fame. 

" In his recitations on the occasions of anniversaries and public-meetings 
(exercises that he always enjoyed), he was graceful, impressive, and popular. 
It is a significant fact in this connection that his last, and one of his happi- 
est declamations, was ' The Burial of Sir John Moore.' 

" His thoughtfulness revealed itself in his attention to and remembrance 
of sermons, the numerous questions he would ask on scriptural, theological, 
and general subjects, and his interest on the vital question of his personal 
salvation. 

" Five years since, when we expected him to die, he professed to expe- 
rience on his bed of sickness the forgiveness of his sins. When he partially 
recovered, one of his first wishes expressed was to unite himself with the 
Church. Accordingly, on the first Sabbath of 1863, when he was ten years 
of age, his dear mother led him to the altar, while his father had the exceed- 
ing joy of welcoming him as a probationer in the Central Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, in the city of New York. 

" His Christian life was marked by consistency of conduct and strict at- 
tention to religious duty. His prayers were never forgotten. His Bible 
was read every day. His class-meeting was regularly attended. Fond of 
his Sabbath-school he was always in his place, and for his teacher and class- 
mates cherished a special love. Those classmates had the melancholy priv- 
ilege of bearing his precious body carefully and lovingly to its last resting- 
place. 

" Since our dear boy's death we have found his diary, kept when he was 
but twelve years of age. A few extracts will throw some light on his char- 
acter and life. 

"January 8, 1865, he writes: 'To-day I have experienced religion. In 



34° 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



the afternoon I went up to the altar, but did not find Christ. In the even- 
ing I found him. Glory to God.' This was rather a restoration of the joys 
of God's salvation. 

" February 2 : ' To-day we had a surprise party at Mrs. T.'s.' Then he 
records what he and his little brothers and companions gave this humble 
and afflicted widow, and concludes the account thus : ' Then we sung hymns, 
spoke pieces, Mrs. A prayed, and we went home.' 

" About the same date he writes : ' Glory to God, the slaves are free.' 

" April 3, he says : ' This afternoon we heard that Richmond and Peters- 
burg are taken by Grant and Sheridan; I had the house illuminated for 
the victory. Praise God for victory.' 

" April 15, he writes : ' This morning we had awful news ; President Lin- 
coln is dead.' He then records all the particulars of the assassination, and 
appends the sentiment, ' Thy will be done.' 

" About the same time he records : ' My sister Beckie died April 10, 1865. 
We miss her. Pa and ma say she looked more beautiful in death than in 
life. She is an angel in heaven to-day. Sweet be her sleep.' 

" Observe, these are extracts from the journal of our Christian boy when 
he was but twelve years of age, and living in New York City. 

" During our pleasant pastorate at Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 
his health seemed better. He was able to go to school, and, as his teachers 
testify, was obedient, studious, and ambitious to excel. In his boyish sports 
he was hearty and very happy. Though some of his companions had more 
of physical strength, yet none of them seemed to enter more deeply into the 
spirit of the enjoyment than he did. His associates all said of him, Alfred 
Bruner Cookman is a good boy — good at school, good on the street, good at 
play, good in his words, good in his temper, good in his actions — and so he 
was. 

" ' None knew him but to love him, 
None named him but to praise.' 

" Soon after he came to Philadelphia, three years since, he helped to es- 
tablish a boy's Sabbath-evening prayer-meeting. At this service quite a 
number of his young friends professed to experience the pardon of sin — 
among the rest the son of our beloved Bishop Simpson. Thus his life 
flowed along beautifully and lovingly and usefully, until the latter part of 
January last, when a deep cold fell upon his heart (his feeble organ), devel- 
oping in the form of pericarditis. His illness was attended with great pain, 
obstinate fever, and frequent oppression, that soon robbed him of strength 
and flesh. Sitting in an upright position, sometimes for days and nights 
together, with his feet feaifully swollen, he nevertheless possessed his soul 



bruxer's happy death. 



341 



in beautiful patience. Xo one heard from him one word of murmuring or 
repining. Every day his Bible was carefully read, while in his devotions he 
would insist on kneeling down, despite all his disability, and would spend 
long seasons in communion with God. 

M To his father he gave the assurance that his trust teas in Christ, and 
Jesus was precious. When asked if all was well in an eternal point of view, 
he answered, ' Yes, sir.' 

" The last day of his life, March 2, reason was trembling on her throne. 
He seemed oblivious to the presence of relatives and friends, and was, to 
all human appearance, the subject of intense suffering. This of course ter- 
ribly taxed the sensibilities of his sympathizing parents and kindred. Con- 
cerned that he should have relief, the family were called to praver. They 
knelt around Bruner's dying bed. They asked God,, if in accordance with 
His will, to save the dear boy from his apparent suffering, and to give him 
a moment of consciousness before his death, that he might indulge us with 
a look of recognition that would be a last precious legacy. God mercifully 
heard and answered our prayer. Very soon the dear suffering boy sank into 
a quiet slumber that continued until near midnight 

" About ten minutes to twelve, with respiration interrupted, he suddenly 
opened his large blue eyes, never brighter or more beautiful, and looked 
around lovingly on his parents and friends. At that moment a ray from the 
more excellent glory darted upon and quite illumined his face and form. 
This halo was perceived and enjoyed by every one in the room. His great- 
ly afflicted mother, with his hand clasped in hers, said, ' I give you to Jesus, 
Brunie, I couldn't give you to an}' other ; oh, say. don't you know me. my 
angel boy ? don't you know your precious mamma ?' He gave her a sweet 
smile of recognition— the legacy desired, the prayer answered— then closed 
his eyes in death, and his beautiful spirit was with the angels. 

" Our glorified boy ! We praise God for the temporary loan. It made 
earth more beautiful, it makes heaven more attractive." 

It is not often that extempore prayer is offered at the grave in 
these days : it is even more seldom that a father is known to offer 
audible prayer at the grave of a son. Some time after the fu- 
neral the body of Bruner was privately interred in the presence 
of the immediate family, on which occasion Mr.Cookman prayed 
with great unction, tenderness, and faith. An aged gentleman* 
of the Society of Friends, who was in the cemetery at the time, 



* Mr. John Jay Smith, of Philadelphia. 



342 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



attracted by the funeral, stood at a respectful distance from the 
scene ; and as he listened in silent, subdued wonder at Mr. 
Cookman's prayer, he said substantially to himself, " If the 
grace of God can give such power to a bereaved father, then I 
need it." He afterward sought for this power, and found it. 
At the time, he and Mr. Cookman were utter strangers to each 
other, but subsequently they became intimately acquainted, and 
Mr. Cookman had the happiness of greeting him as a brother 
in Christ. Subsequently Mr. Cookman wrote him : 

* * * "I am so deeply thankful and sincerely joyful whenever I think 
of you — brought in in advanced life, when the chances all seemed to be 
against such a result. And then that I should have had any share (as a 
humble and unworthy instrument) in this blessed consummation ! My soul 
sinks down in adoring love. You will realize great rest in committing the 
keeping of your soul and little all into the hands of your Almighty Saviour. 
Feel that He is carefully preserving what you have given into His hands, 
and that until you deliberately or willfully withdraw your offering and your 
trust He will keep, leaving you only to love and to enjoy — ." * * * 

Another letter to the same is appropriate here. 
To Mr. John J. Smith, of Philadelphia : 

" Wilmington, December 24, 1870. 

" I desire to acknowledge the receipt of your most welcome letter, and at 
the same time wish you a very happy Christmas. Will it not be the best 
Christmas of your protracted life ? The best, because of the sweet con- 
sciousness that your divine Friend is now affectionately remembered. He 
gives you Himself for your Christmas present, and you in return give 
Him yourself. Thus there is a beautiful, blessed exchange of gifts ; only 
we are infinitely the gainers by this merciful arrangement. 

" I am glad to know that your heart overflows with thankfulness and love 
to that dear Saviour who, at the eleventh hour, has made you a miracle of 
His wondrous grace. Praise Him continually, trust Him implicitly, iove 
Him with a childlike love, and in a little while you shall bow in His glorified 
presence, and offer Him not gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but the more 
acceptable tribute of a grateful and devoted heart. Eighteen hundred and 
seventy closes well for you ; the last pages record that J. Jay Smith is a little 
child sitting at the Saviour's feet. I trust I belong to the same blessed 



SMITH. — HESTOX. — BRAIXARD. 



343 



class. We are brother scholars in the school of Jesus, and I indulge the 
hope that our friendship, overleaping the River of Death, shall continue and 
increase as long as eternal ages roll. 

" The evening we spent at your beautiful home was one of the happiest 
of my life. It will long be a very feast of memory. 

"And now I must close my note. Give our tenderest love to your dear 

wife and daughter, and son L , whose acquaintance I was glad to form. 

Is there not a most cheering prospect that you will be a united family in 
Christ in this world, and afterward an undivided household in heaven. God 
bless you all." 

Reference has already been made to the deaths of the Rev. 
Newton Heston and the Rev. Dr. Brainard. Mr. Heston, pas- 
tor of the State Street Congregational Church in Brooklyn, was 
originally a Methodist preacher in the Philadelphia Conference, 
and a close friend of Mr. Cookman's. When he withdrew from 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, Mr. Cookman did not with- 
draw his love from him, but continued to esteem him as a 
brother ; and when Mr. Heston fell suddenly in his work, he very 
sincerely mourned his loss. He preached a memorial sermon 
in the Spring Garden Street Church. This sermon was after- 
ward published by request of the trustees of State Street Church, 
and remains a generous tribute of his brotherly affection. 

Dr. Brainard was for many years one of the most active and 
useful pastors in the Presbyterian pulpit of Philadelphia. Kin- 
dred sympathies and labors brought him and Mr. Cookman 
into frequent and genial intercourse. In a private letter to the 
editor of The Evangelist, New York, Mr. Cookman referred to 
Dr. Brainard in terms which the editor was pleased afterward 
to apply as equally applicable to Mr. Cookman himself: 

" Associated with him at anniversaries, union meetings, social gatherings, 
and under various circumstances, I came to estimate him as a prince among 
men. His disciplined and cultivated mind, ready and elegant utterances, 
natural and beautiful manners, unselfish and catholic spirit, self-denying and 
multiplied labors, and useful Christian life, made him a power and a bless- 
ing wherever known — and now, as we think of him, furnish a very feast of 
remembrance. I thank God that I ever knew Dr. Brainard. 



344 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



"Dr. Arnot, in his life of James Hamilton, says: 'All is not lost to the 
world when a good man dies ; his character remains behind to enrich the 
community, as certainly as the rich man's wealth remains behind to enrich 
the estate of his heirs.' Dr. Brainard's character lives— lives in the charac- 
ters of others that it is strengthening and building up. I cheerfully ac- 
knowledge my indebtedness to Dr. Brainard for the inspiration of his pure 
example, the glow of his living piety, and the cheer of his noble, generous, 
loving soul. I am a better man because he lived. Dr. Brainard made earth 
more beautiful, and makes heaven more attractive." 

In the autumn of 1868 Mr. Cookman was called upon to 
follow to the grave the remains of another cherished minister, 
the Rev. Thomas H. Stockton, D.D., pastor of the Church of 
the New Testament, Philadelphia, a man whose reputation for 
piety, eloquence, learning, and patriotism was as broad as the 
continent. Dr. Stockton and his father had been pulpit rivals 
in their youth, while Alfred was a child ; afterward the devout 
and seraphic Stockton and the son were brought into the clos- 
est fellowship, and sustained to each other a relationship as 
familiar and tender as that of father and son. Mr. Cookman 
was accustomed through the last years of the Doctor's feeble 
health to visit him frequently, and to sit at his feet with the ut- 
most teachableness, and listen to conversations which, for far- 
reaching wisdom and spiritual insight, have not been excelled 
by the words of any divine of our times. The Rev. Alexander 
Clark, editor of the Methodist Recorder, who rode with him at 
Dr. Stockton's funeral, writes, " I shall never forget his tender, 
brotherly words in the carriage as we rode together in the fu- 
neral procession. * * * How those two consecrated souls loved 
each other ! Now they share the great glory together !" 



CHAPTER XX. 



GRACE CHURCH, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE. — THE NATIONAL AND 
OTHER CAMP-MEETINGS. — MISSIONARY JUBILEE. 

With the spring of 1868 the pastorate of Spring Garden 
charge closed — three years of arduous labor and much suffer- 
ing, but of as decided success and joy as any ministerial term 
Mr. Cookman had yet spent. Long before the session of Con- 
ference the question of his next appointment was agitated. 
Committees from various churches, within and without his own 
Conference, waited on him with urgent demands for his services 
— among them one from the new St. John's Church, Brooklyn, 
New York. As we have seen from his correspondence, he did 
not wish to leave the Philadelphia Conference, but desired to 
regard it as home. He was, however, induced to consent to 
go to Brooklyn if the bishops thought it advisable ; and for 
some time his transfer to the St. John's charge was regarded 
as a settled arrangement. 

Meanwhile another claim sprang up in a call from the new 
Grace Church, Wilmington, Delaware. Both churches were as 
substantial, capacious, and beautiful as any yet erected by the 
Methodist Episcopal Church ; the claims seemed equally bal- 
anced, and both invitations were to him certainly highly com- 
plimentary. The opinions of the bishops decided for Grace 
Church. As this Church was in his own Conference, no trans- 
fer was necessary, and hence the appointment was the more 
easily effected. Many of Mr. Cookman's friends in New York 
and Brooklyn were sorely disappointed in the result, and no 
one felt more sincerely grieved than himself that what ap- 
peared to be the wisest judgment was against the removal to 

? 2 



346 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Brooklyn. While the matter was pending he would often ex- 
claim, " Oh, for a voice from heaven !" 

Again was his lot cast with a people who had shown great 
zeal for the cause of God in the erection of a superb and com- 
modious structure for divine worship at a cost of $200,000. It 
is doubtful if a more beautiful pile can be found, or one more 
admirably adapted in all its appointments for the services of 
religion. The exterior of the building, the tout ensemble, is very 
imposing, while the interior arrangements are both tasteful 
and convenient, with every possible facility for public worship, 
for Sunday-school work, and the equally important social meet- 
ings. Grace Church is really the ornament of Wilmington City. 
In building such a house a heavy debt was incurred, and there 
consequently devolved upon the newly appointed pastor a cor- 
responding care ; but as was his custom, he went cheerfully to 
work, seeking to affect the financial condition of the charge 
through its spiritual life. Wilmington, with a population of 
thirty thousand, and a Methodist population of twenty-four 
hundred, offered a delightful field for the preaching and social 
talents of the new pastor. His ministry began immediately to 
impress the community, and very soon a large congregation 
filled the Church. Persons of all classes and professions, of 
every religious denomination, became either regular or occa- 
sional attendants upon the preaching and the social services. 
The Sunday-school, with its large rooms and efficient control, 
grew to great proportions, and in all the elements of strength 
and self-propagating power. It soon projected a mission-school, 
known as the Epworth Chapel. 

The customary meeting for the promotion of holiness was es- 
tablished. Such a meeting was now with him a necessity, not 
only of his ministry, but of his personal religious life. He must 
gather some of his flock and of the Christian community, how- 
ever few, into the closest fellowship, for the distinct purpose of 
conference and prayer upon the great object which he believed 



GRACE M. E. CHURCH, WILMINGTON. 



347 



to lie at the very foundation of individual and Church growth. 
When a little dissent from his opinions and plans was express- 
ed — though feeling sometimes that he was misunderstood — he 
would simply reply to the suggestion of friends that he should 
explain himself, " Oh ! the Lord Jesus has my reputation in 
his keeping ; I have committed it all to him, and he will take 
care of it." There were those in the charge who were not pre- 
pared to accept his teachings on Christian purity; but who as 
time wore on espoused them, and became the strongest sup- 
porters of his ministry and his warmest personal friends. The 
Wednesday-afternoon meeting was soon an institution of the 
Church and of the city, and comprised among its habitual at- 
tendants members of all the orthodox churches, of whom none 
were more constant and prominent than many of the Society of 
Friends. 

Mr. Cookman's ministry had always had a charm for these god- 
ly, thoughtful people — probably on account of its exceeding sim- 
plicity and spirituality — but never before did he obtain among 
them such marked influence as in Wilmington. They feasted 
on his words with as much regularity and zest as his own mem- 
bers. They took him to their hearts and homes — a partaker 
of their quiet, unostentatious hospitality, breathing the pure at- 
mosphere of their simple piety, he returned their kindness and 
confidence with the benefactions of a spiritual prince. 

The pleasant impressions received by Mr. Cookman on his 
first appearance in his new charge, as told in letters to his wife, 
were more than confirmed by succeeding results. 

To his wife : 

"Wilmington, Saturday afternoon, 1868. 
" Here I am, sitting in Mr. H.'s store, corner of Market and Third Streets, 
using his desk and implements in redeeming my promise of a letter to-day. 
A pleasant journey yesterday brought me to Philadelphia about one P.M., and 

at four o'clock I started in the steam-boat for Wilmington. Brother R 

was a fellow-passenger, with whom I had a great deal of pleasant conversa- 
tion. At half-past six Brother S — — and lady gave me a cordial welcome. 



348 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



The prayer-meeting in the evening was largely attended, and a most solemn 
and profitable season. Rev. Brother Lightbourn was there. The friends 
seemed to enjoy it wonderfully. The people are as kind as they can be, and 
express great interest to see us comfortably established in our new home. 
This morning I called at the parsonage. Every thing is very neat and com- 
fortable. The carpets are all down, except the parlor carpet, which is on the 
floor, and will be tacked on Monday. The furniture used in the parlor of 
their previous parsonage, hair-cloth sofa and chairs, has been placed in the 
sitting-room, and green velvet furniture purchased for the present parlor. I 
think you will like and enjoy your new home. This morning I had a long 
walk with Brother S -. Wilmington, especially in its environs, is a beauti- 
ful city. Providence permitting, we will have some delightful strolls together 
along the far-famed Brandywine," etc. 

To his wife : 

" Grace Parsonage, Wilmington, Del., April 9, 1868. 

" At my study table again ! in one of the nicest, coziest studies I have had 
for many years. You will want a detail of proceedings, and, as I am a sys- 
tematic man, it will be better to commence with Sunday. Preached twice ; 
in the morning on 1 Old paths,' in the evening on the ' One thing needful 
administered the Sacrament and made an address. It was a glorious day ; 
congregation magnificent ; Sacrament the most blessed service of that kind 
I have enjoyed for years. Friends seemed in highest spirits, and my soul 
praised God. Monday our goods were delivered at the parsonage. I un- 
wrapped the furniture, unpacked the piano, my pictures, and a part of my 
books. Monday night and Tuesday it rained like a young deluge, and as 
some of the goods were getting wet, and I was almost alone, I concluded it 
was better for me to unpack a little more. The house began to look like 
home when I started on Tuesday in the rain for Philadelphia. 

"At half-past one or a quarter to two R and the children arrived. 

I intended to have taken them in the steam-boat at four P.M., but they had 
ordered their carriage to the depot, and so, after lunching in the city, we left 
again in the half-past-three train. The friends had carriages, expecting us 
by the steam-boat, but we anticipated them. Proceeding to the parsonage, 
we took the ladies a little by surprise. It did not, however, make the slight- 
est difference. The children are delighted with their new home. Frank 
says it is delightful, and thinks his ma will enjoy it very much, and indeed, 
every thing is very pretty and very comfortable. It suits me. The trustees 
and their wives gave us a most affectionate welcome. Supper was provided 
and served — fried oysters, chicken salad, ham, rolls, Maryland biscuits, 



GETTING SETTLED. — SUNDAY AT MANHEIM. 



349 



sliced oranges, cakes, tea, coffee, etc. The evening was spent most delight- 
fully. About half-past ten, when they would leave, I proposed some sing- 
ing, and then knelt down and offered our new home to God. It was a sea- 
son of interest and comfort. 

" This morning I have been arranging my books, while Rebecca is here, 
there, and every where — the best sister-in-law that the Lord ever made. 
The boys behaved beautifully last evening. I was proud of them. This 
morning they have been helping me with my books, but now they are out in 
the field enjoying a game of ball. This evening they are all invited to a 
birthday -party at Brother B.'s. If the weather is favorable I think Rebecca 
and the children will make a little excursion to Philadelphia to-morrow in 
the steam-boat. Going at seven A.M., they can have nearly seven hours in 
the city. Rebecca says I must tell you there are mattresses on every bed, 
blankets on every bed, pillows for every bed, sheets for every bed, etc 
Providence permitting, I wish to start for Columbia on Monday, and bring 
you to the city on Tuesday. Then you must decide where you will stay, for 
all want you. Wednesday, after interring our dear boy, we will leave for 
Columbia." • 

The summer of 1868 opened auspiciously, and Mr. Cookman 
entered, about the middle of July, upon the customary religious 
campaign. The first camp-meeting was that of the National 
Association, held at Manheim, Lancaster County, Pa. The lo- 
cation had been selected by himself. The attendance from 
North, East, West, and South exceeded all expectations — the 
friends of the cause came together from the remotest parts of 
the country. A correspondent of The Daily Spy, of Columbia, 
in writing under date of July 20th, spoke of the Sunday and its 
services as follows : 

" Manheim, July 20, 1868. 
" Mr. Editor, — We have been permitted to spend a Sabbath at camp- 
meeting, and truly it was a day long to be remembered for the crowds of 
people and clouds of dust. The atmosphere was like Egyptian darkness — 
an atmosphere ' that might be felt.' The streams of dusty humanity which 
flowed along, from early morn till late in the evening, seemed to have 
but one object in view — to see what was to be seen, and raise, or keep up, 
the already thick clouds of choking dust that pervaded tents, eyes, ears, hair, 
and clothes of all. I would not, after all, have been absent for a valua- 



35° 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ble consideration. To have the privilege of attending the experience-meet- 
ing at the stand at eight o'clock in itself would compensate for all the 
sweltering and crowding to which we were exposed. There were nearly, 
if not quite, five hundred witnesses for Jesus, who gladly stood up and de- 
clared, in the face of Heaven and the vast crowd by which they were sur- 
rounded, that the blood of Jesus Christ had cleansed them from all sin. 
This was the largest experience-meeting I ever saw, and such a holy feeling 
pervaded the assembly that happiness, peace, and joy were portrayed on ev- 
ery countenance. Again and again could be heard the loud cry of ' Glory 
to God !' It required no stretch of imagination to liken them to the hosts 
of the Most High while going up to possess the goodly land. Truly the 
Lord of Hosts was among His people. These exercises were continued 
nearly to the preaching hour — ten o'clock. A few remarks of caution and 
advice were made by Presiding Elder Gray, in his usual clear and decisive 
manner, telling the people that Bishop Simpson, who was to preach, could 
be heard by all, if perfect stillness was observed. At the appointed hour 
the Bishop advanced to the stand, and, looking out over the sea of upturned 
faces, gave out the hymn commencing with, ' When I survey the wondrous 
cross,' etc. After prayer, he read for the first lesson the nineteenth Psalm, 
and for the second the eighth of Romans. The text was Romans, eighth 
chapter and fourteenth verse — ' As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they 
are the sons of God.' The sermon was all that expectation could hope for 
or the heart could desire. The time occupied in delivery was one hour and 
twenty minutes, and, although on many heads the sun poured down his fierce 
and sickening rays, the attention was constant and the interest unflag- 
ging. The good Bishop opened up a vista of happiness and glory to many 
anxious souls, knowing that in heaven they have a ' more enduring inherit- 
ance.' 

" In the afternoon Rev. Mr. Inskip occupied the stand. This discourse I 
did not hear ; but in the evening, at half-past seven o'clock, the Rev. Alfred 
Cookman, with all that earnestness and Christian sympathy for which he is 
distinguished, kept the assembly interested, while he showed the deep ne- 
cessity of making a full surrender of all to God. 

"The afternoon children's prayer-meeting in the Columbia tent was to the 
' little ones ' a happy time. I felt for the children ; the warm day was quite 
enough to bear, but to be inclosed by a wall of unthinking men and women 
was quite too bad. The exercises were well worthy of attention, but a 
thought for the comfort of the children should have been enough to scatter 
the crowd that walled up both ends of the tent." 

Mr. Cookman, as might be expected 3 was every where present 



GAMP-MEETING AT MANHEIM. 



351 



and active throughout the meeting. He was selected to preach 
the sermon on Sunday evening. The responsibility he felt to 
be well-nigh insupportable, but after unusual time spent in 
prayer and meditation, he chose his subject and went to the 
pulpit, when to his surprise the conviction was forcibly made 
upon his mind — "You must abandon your sermon and tell 
your experience." He yielded reluctantly to what seemed to 
be the Spirit's guidance. As he proceeded to narrate the man- 
ner in which God had led him, particularly into the blessing of 
full salvation, the impression upon the congregation deepened 
with every word, until the effect was overwhelming. The im- 
mense audience was entirely subdued, notes of victory rang 
over the whole ground, and throughout the night from every 
tent might be heard the songs of spiritual joy.* 

Such was the impulse! given to the National Association by 
the Manheim meeting that it was resolved to hold at least two 
meetings during the coming year. Beyond this meeting there 
is no distinct record of Mr. Cookman's movements among the 
camp-meetings of the summer. It is likely that he took his ac- 
customed tour. 

The ensuing autumn and winter found him steadily devoted 



* Correspondence of The Methodist, August 1 : " None who were privi- 
leged to be present will ever forget the Sunday evening when Rev. Alfred 
Cookman led the congregation to God, and pressed upon them, with master- 
ly and persuasive eloquence, the question of true spiritual power as con- 
nected with personal holiness, and in a most fervent prayer led the congre- 
gation to the cross. Men fell under the mighty power of God in all parts 
of the ground. This was only equaled by the wonderful Pentecostal season 
of Monday evening." 

t Ibid. : " The entire meeting was wonderfully well managed. I never saw 
such excellent generalship as that displayed by them. This meeting must 
tell on the entire Church of the present with power. Ministers and people 
humbled themselves that God might exalt the Church with His wonder- 
ful power, and clothe it with the glory of God that rested upon the ancient 
altars." 



352 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



to his pastoral work, with such occasional outside engagements 
as claimed him throughout his career. Very soon a gracious 
influence began to pervade the congregation. All the means 
of grace increased in the numbers who frequented them. The 
meeting for holiness grew not only in numbers but in unction, 
and worked like leaven through the whole religious community. 
The ordinary prayer-meetings were thronged, and awakenings 
and conversions were of common occurrence. Before the win- 
ter had passed a deep and thorough revival of religion took 
place, and many accessions were made to the Church. The 
revival thus began continued with more or less power during 
the entire term, resulting from year to year in the salvation of 
penitent sinners and in the purification of believers — in view 
of the results of which one has said, " I believe eternity alone 
will reveal the good he accomplished at Grace." While the 
congregation and Sunday-school generally shared in the blessed 
fruits, the students of the Wesleyan Female College partici- 
pated largely in them — very many of the young ladies were con- 
verted and established in the principles and habits of a Chris- 
tian life. 

Two letters of this period are valuable as expressions of pri- 
vate friendship and personal piety, and as showing the growth 
of religion in the Church. 

To Mrs. Lewis, of Columbus, Ohio : 

" Wilmington, February i, 1869. 
* * * " Our affection for you and Homer, ten years old, has attained to 
quite a stature — is strong and healthy, has a divinity in its life, and promises 
to be not only a joy in this world, but a beautiful angel in the Paradise of 
everlasting blessedness. * * * I am still asking for my New-year's gift, and 
will accept it just as thankfully now as though it had been given coeval 
with my first petition. My faithful Lord gave me with the beginning of the 
year one of the most important men in Grace Church, to be a friend if not 
a professor of holiness, and I felt that this was almost more than I could 
have asked or thought, and called for songs of loudest praise. He is also 
giving me light, strength, comfort, and unction. Freedom from myself 



CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY. 



353 



and the fullest liberty of the sons of God, is what I am specially longing 
foj* " ^ ^ 

To Mrs. Stevens, of Wilmington, while absent at the funeral 
of her mother : 

"Wilmington, June 10, 1869. 

* * * "Best of all, in New York or in Delaware, you may confidently 
ask for the special grace of Him whose promises are the brightest stars in 
our firmament during the dark night of sorrow and affliction. The Infinite 
Jehovah is your 'Husband,' your 'Father,' your 'Mother.' He takes the 
place of all the loved and lost, and promises sympathy, watch-care, support, 
and blessing in every affectionate relationship of life. 

"I remember your venerable mother with a great deal of interest and 
pleasure. Her native strength of character, good common-sense, sober in- 
telligence, quiet but dignified manner, through which her gentle, sympathiz- 
ing, and loving nature sent forth bright beams to illumine and gladden oth- 
er lives — all this strongly and happily impressed me with a sense of her 
great worth. I have no doubt that you will feel an increased tenderness for 
every body's mother now, and for all women who are beginning to grow old. 
Do not think of your mother as having gone away. No love, no life, goes 
ever from us — it goes as He (Jesus) went, that it may come again, deeper 
and closer and surer, and be with us always, even to the end of the world. 

"But I will not prolong my letter. Every thing moves on in Wilmington 
about as it did when you were here. Our Wednesday meeting yesterday 
was unusually rich in testimony and unctuous in influence. We felt that we 
were lifted up to sit as in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The Friday-even- 
ing meeting is well attended. On last Sabbath your name was called as one 
of the list of probationers who, having stood out a satisfactory probation, were 
entitled to the privileges of full membership in the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. It was a beautiful sight to see the altar surrounded by those whom 
I might entitle 'our joy and crown of rejoicing.' " 

To Mr. Edward Moore, of Wilmington, who was sojourning 
in Paris : 

"June 10, 1869. 

" Shall I say that Jesus continues unspeakably precious in my experience ? 
He teaches me, leads me, helps me, and guards me ; but, best of all, saves 
me — does not save me from human weakness or fallibility or infirmities, 
but does save me from my sins. Oh, how I love to love Jesus ! We are 
almost counting the weeks now until your return. The time will soon trans- 
pire, and then we will again 'together sweetly live.' " 



354 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



The Fiftieth Anniversary (Jubilee) of the Missionary Society 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church was held in the city of 
Washington, D. C, on Sabbath and Monday, the ioth and nth 
of January, 1869, and Mr. Cookman was invited to take part. 
He preached on Sunday morning at "Wesley Chapel, spoke at 
a platform meeting at the Foundry in the evening, and Mon- 
day evening delivered one of the addresses at the continuance 
of the anniversary proper. There had been four or five able 
addresses in the morning, and three or four equally able had 
been delivered in the evening before Mr. Cookman was intro- 
duced to the audience. For two long days the people had 
heard of nothing but " missions," and it seemed as though both 
they and the subject had been exhausted — that there was noth- 
ing left for him to say, or, if he found any thing to say, that he 
would have to say it to a worn-out and retreating audience. 
With peculiar adroitness in his first sentences he conciliated 
the congregation, and was heard to the last with unflagging at- 
tention. 

A correspondent of The Christia?2 Advocate wrote : " The ad- 
dress was pervaded with the blessed Spirit of the Master, and 
at times in rapt delight the audience wept and rejoiced ; and 
when the speaker closed his remarks, all present must have 
felt that they had been with him at the feet of Jesus receiving 
instruction and comfort for further effort." 

Another correspondent said of it : " His theme was the true 
missionary spirit. His melting pathos and indescribable sweet- 
ness of tone won every heart to the missionary cause. It is 
impossible to express the power of this address upon the au- 
dience gathered on the occasion, and the limits of our paper 
forbid any attempt to reproduce the words or thoughts pre- 
sented." 

It may not be amiss, as the missionary cause lay near Mr. 
Cookman's heart, and enlisted — as it had done with his father 
— his deepest sympathies and strongest efforts, to give extracts 



A MISSIONARY SPEECH. 



355 



from this address as published in the Annual Report of the 
Missionary Society. 

After introducing himself in his hard-pressed position as a 
gleaner, he said : 

"And now, sir, looking round upon the field, I do not seem to see a 
standing stalk of truth. These brethren, with their bright blades or their 
keen sickles, have been gathering the harvest — they have even carried it 
to the mill. They have ground it out in their close, clear, vigorous think- 
ing ; they have manufactured it into nourishing and delightful food, and it 
has been dealt out among the people j you have been enjoying it in the 
morning and in the evening, and are now entirely satisfied. It seems to me 
that it only remains to return thanks and go home. Or, sir, if I may change 
the figure, I have thought during the evening, while occupying my seat, 
that we have been engaged during the day in the inspection of our great 
missionary ship, its keel, its timbers, its planking, its deck, its machinery— a 
most magnificent piece of machinery — its pilotage, and its larder. Our 
flags are flying, our officers are in their places, and all that we are needing, 
as it would seem, is the missionary spirit, which might be entitled the mo- 
tive power." 

After showing that liberal contributions of money might be 
made in the absence of the real power necessary to success, he 
continued : 

" What is the missionary spirit ? Is it an ordinary interest in, or a kind 
of general concern for, the heathen abroad and the heathen at home ? — a 
cold and calculating love for those millions that have so long, too long, lin- 
gered in the shadow of sin and of death? Nay, sir, such a spirit as that 
would never convert the world — has never illustrated itself as the secret 
spring or motive power of self-sacrificing and successful endeavor in this 
world. There must be love, it is true, but then let us remember it must be 
love on fire ; it must be love in a paroxysm ; it must be love intensified, ab- 
sorbing, all-controlling. Observe, if you please, the missionary quitting his 
home, kindred, native land, and accustomed comforts. He is willing to 
abide in the ends of the earth, encompassed by heart-sickening idolatrous 
superstition and crime. Wherefore ? Is it because of a simple concern re- 
specting the temporal, or even spiritual, welfare of those by whom he may 
be encompassed ? Nay, I insist it is rather because of the Christ-given and 
Christ-like love that burns in his heart and literally consumes his life. Oh, 
sir ! it is the missionary spirit that crosses broad seas, that clambers cloud- 



356 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



crowned mountains, that traverses far-distant regions, that sails around the 
world if it may save but a single soul. It is the missionary spirit that 
breathes miasmas, that bears heavy burdens, that challenges adversaries, 
that imperils precious life, that laughs at impossibilities, and cries, ' This 
must, and this shall be done.' It is the missionary spirit that gives and bears 
sacrifices, and dies, if it were necessary, and if it were possible, a hundred 
thousand deaths, if, like its divine Exemplar, it might be going about doing 
good. Now, as I have said, there may be liberality, but there can not be the 
missionary spirit where there is not a conscientious, Christ-like liberality." 

Inquiring, then, how this missionary spirit shall be excited 
and maintained, he replied— " First, by the careful contempla- 
tion of the spiritual necessities of the unregenerate around us." 
With a few brief touches he illustrated the power of the eye to 
report to and sensibly affect the heart, and proceeded further 
to discuss a more vital condition : 

" Again, it might be asked, * Are there not many of our own community 
who are familiar with temporal and spiritual wretchedness, who are ac- 
quainted with the necessities of the heathen world, who hear of this subject 
not only from year to year, but more frequently, and yet they have none of 
those exercises or experiences of missionary zeal ?' That is true — that is 
undeniable ; and so we are constrained to the conclusion that something 
more is indispensable than this simple consideration. What is that some- 
thing ? I answer that it is a union and a living sympathy with the blessed 
Lord Jesus Christ. And now, sir, at the close of these anniversary exer- 
cises, this thought brings me where I joy to come, and where I would like to 
lead this little company, that is, to Calvary. I throw the arms of my affec- 
tion around the consecrated cross of Jesus ; I drink in, in constantly in- 
creasing measure, his tender, sympathizing, self-sacrificing spirit. Now from 
this stand-point of the cross — from the measure of that feeling which influ- 
ences the heart and life of the divine Redeemer — I look out again upon the 
world ; but now with what different feelings ! Now I hear with Christ's 
ears, I feel with Christ's heart, I see with His eyes ; now I am ready to labor 
with Christ's energies ; now I am disposed to give or go, or do or dare, or 
sacrifice or die — any thing and every thing — if I may but help in lifting our 
sin-cursed world up to God. This experience of which I am speaking is a 
vitalizing principle ; it is a divine force. It is Jesus reigning, not (as my 
brother would say) simply in the skies ; there is something better than that. 
We can have heaven on the way to heaven. It is Jesus reigning in per- 



THE MISSIONARY SPIRIT. 



357 



sonal consciousness in the individual heart; it is Christ living, breathing, 
dwelling, and triumphing in personal life. Philosophy is contemplative and 
studious, fond and full of plans and of theories ; infidelity, as we all know, 
is given to boasting and to detraction ; both of them laying special stress 
upon the human rather than upon the divine. 

" But, Mr. President and Christian friends, after all their proud vaunting, 
pray tell me what heathen shores have they ever visited for purposes of 
mercy ? What funeral pyre have they ever extinguished ? What dumb idol 
have they ever cast down from its pedestal ? What nation have they ever 
lifted up from its barbarism and degradation ? What profligate have they 
ever reclaimed ? What sorrowful heart have they ever cheered ? Where 
to-night are their earnest, self-sacrificing missionaries ? Where are their 
organizations for the amelioration of human suffering and the extension of 
wholesome and blessed truth in the world ? Where are their Pauls, their 
Barnabases, their Wesleys, Wilberforces, Thomas Cokes, Asburys, How- 
ards, Phebes, Dorcases, Nightingales, and Elizabeth Frys ? I ask it with 
confidence and with Christian exultation. In vain I wait for an answer — 
there cometh none. Sir, we must come to Christ ; we must drink in His 
Spirit ; for it is there, and there only, we will find the source and the fount- 
ain of this missionary spirit, which is so needful and so indispensable. The 
theory and practice of missions, as I take it, can be expressed almost in a 
single sentence. It is love to the blessed Lord Jesus Christ, who has bought 
us with his blood, drawing forth the stream of human sympathy, human af- 
fection, and human endeavor — a stream which, by an invariable law of nat- 
ure and of God, seeks the lowest place — for, let me say to you, that Chris- 
tian compassion, like Christ's compassion, always flows downward, and fix- 
es upon those who need it the most. Was it not so with Paul ? The love 
of Christ constrained him, and he counted not his life dear unto him so 
that he might but glorify his Saviour, propagate His Gospel, save immortal 
souls, and finish his course with joy. 

" Mr. President, that great man had been to Calvary. * * * As we heard 
remarked this morning, with him it was a master passion in death. I lin- 
gered in the dungeon, I looked over the shoulder of that great servant of 
Jesus Christ as he wrote his last epistle that he indicted to a faithful apos- 
tle, and I read with the speaker of this morning these words : ' I am ready 
to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a 
good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth 
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the right- 
eous Judge, shall give me at that day.' Here my brother stopped ; but I 
read on a little farther, 'And not for me only.' There came out his mis- 



358 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



sionary spirit. That would have been too narrow, circumscribed, and self- 
ish for that great heart. 'Not for me only.' Oh ! Paul at that hour took 
in the hundreds of millions of the world's population—' Not for me only, 
but for all those that love His appearing.' * * * 

" Mr. President, I am not by any means despondent or discouraged ; but, 
on the contrary, I am full of cheerful hope and of Christian confidence. I be- 
lieve the clouds above will vanish. I believe the right is about to conquer. 
" ' Clear the way ! 
A brazen wrong is crumbling into clay. 

With that right 
Shall many more enter, smiling, at the door. 

With that wrong 
Shall follow many others, great and small, 
That for ages long have held us as their prey. 
Men of thought and men of action 
Clear the way.' 

I believe in the future. * * * I believe in the government of the future, and 
in the Church of the future. I think there is a day not very far distant 
when from the watch-towers of Asia, once the land of lords many, there 
shall roll out the exultant chorus, ' One Lord !' when from the watch-tow- 
ers of Europe, distracted by divisions in the faith, there shall roll up the 
grateful chorus, 'One faith!' when from the watch-towers of our own 
America, torn by controversies respecting the initiatory rite into the visible 
Church of our Lord Jesus, there shall roll forth the inspiring chorus, ' One 
baptism !' when from the watch-towers of Africa, as though the God of all 
the race were not her God — as if the Father of the entire human family 
were not her Father — when from the watch-towers of neglected and de- 
spised Africa there shall roll forth the chorus, 'One God and Father of 
all !' when the sacramental host, scattered all over the face of this lower 
creation, shall spring upon their feet, and, seizing the harp of thanksgiving, 
they shall join in the chorus that shall be responded to by the angels, ' One 
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, 
and through all, and in you all ;' ' to whom be glory, dominion, and majesty 
and blessing forever !' 

"Mr. President, these eyes of mine may not see that day of rapture ; but 
if not, then I expect with the great cloud of witnesses to stand yonder upon 
the glory-illumined battlements of immortality, and looking down, I will 
surely enjoy the feast of vision. I may not be associated with those who 
shall send up from the earth the shout that 'Jesus reigns;' if not, it seems 



NATIONAL CAMP-MEETING AT ROUND LAKE. 



359 



to me I will crowd a little closer to the throne with all the glorified com- 
pany, and I will join with them in singing that the kingdoms of yonder 
world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Oh, sir ! at 
the close of this anniversary day, as the result of what I have seen and 
heard and enjoyed, I resolve to be a better man, and to be a more devoted 
friend to the missionary cause." 

Ah ! how little it was thought as the noble, healthful-looking 
orator took his seat amid shouts and tears, that these conclud- 
ing references to himself were so painfully prophetic ! Three 
brief years — and yonder he is on the battlements, crying to 
Christ's hosts still in the conflict, " Forward ! and I will be 
looking down upon you." 

By an act of the General Conference of 1868 the Philadel- 
phia Conference had been divided. All that portion of its ter- 
ritory in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia lying between the 
Delaware and Chesapeake bays, and known as the Peninsula, 
had been set off to itself, and denominated the Wilmington 
Conference. The new Conference held its first session in Wil- 
mington. Mr. Cookman remained in the Conference, and was 
re-appointed to Grace Church for the second year. He thus 
found himself a leading member in a leading charge of a form- 
ing Conference, and, with a loyalty to Methodism exceeded by 
none, he addressed himself vigorously to the development and 
conservation of the elements of progress within its bounds. 

The National Committee had appointed their annual camp- 
meeting for July 6th, at Round Lake, near Saratoga, New York. 
The success of the two previous meetings at Vineland and 
Manheim, the eligibleness of the location at Round Lake, the 
increasing attention awakened in the subject of Christian holi- 
ness, drew together a vast concourse of people. Representa- 
tives were there from well-nigh all the states, the Canadas, and 
even from England. 

" The cosmopolitan character of the meeting is a very marked feature of 
the occasion, and while the word ' National ' is sometimes criticised as 
meaning too much, yet, in the sense that it is national, it does not express 



3 6 ° 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



enough, for here are representatives from many distant parts of the world. 
Our first introduction on the ground was to Rev. N. Cyr, of Paris, who had 
been attracted by the catholic design of the meeting, and is here to see and 
share its blessed fruits. He compares it with the meetings held by the 
Evangelical Society during the great Exposition in his own city. Here, too, 
is a publisher from London, D. Morgan, Esq., who has come all the way 
across the Atlantic to be present at the great American camp-meeting. 
He is a most enthusiastic admirer of the simplicity of the scene, as also 
of the vastness of the scale on which the camp is laid out. Another, who is 
relating a blessed experience in the preachers' love-feast, is a Methodist 
clergyman from Canada. 

"Besides all these, there are our own adopted brethren of every land and 
clime, some of whom know our common Christian character better than 
they know our tongue. 

" There are nearly one hundred and fifty clergymen from all portions of 
our great work. The location is most admirably suited to secure the health 
and comfort of the congregated thousands. The inclosure of forty acres is 
beautifully situated almost on the margin of the lovely lake from which the 
place derives its name, and is the most admirably arranged for its purpose 
of any thing of the sort we have ever seen. The grove is charmingly shady 
and free from stumps and undergrowth, while the fresh breezes from the 
lake play with the fragrant odors of the hemlocks which perfume the grove 
and fill the senses with purest invigoration. 

"The Sabbath is over, the great day of the feast ! At a quarter to five 
o'clock A.M. the bell of the tabernacle announced to the camp the hour of 
early worship, and at once the pavilion was crowded with multitudes, an 
earnest of the 'day of rest.' 

" The love-feast, at eight, was an occasion as only can be enjoyed at such 
a gathering as this. Four hundred persons in some way or other spoke of 
their present faith in Jesus, and mostly testified to receiving during this 
meeting the consciousness of sanctifying grace. The chief feature distin- 
guishing it from ordinary camp-meeting love-feasts was the almost full re- 
sponse given to the request, by the leader of the meeting, that each state 
of the Union should be represented by at least two persons in their experi- 
ences. Commencing with Maine, John Allen, of camp-meeting notoriety, 
was at once on his feet, declaring that ' this was the one hundred and ninety- 
ninth camp-meeting that he had attended, and he hoped to attend as many 
more.' State by state — with only, perhaps, the exception of Louisiana, 
Texas, and Florida — happy voices, praised God for the common salvation."* 



* Correspondence of The Methodist, July 17, 1869. 



ACTIVITY AT CAMP-MEETINGS. 



361 



Among the one hundred and fifty ministers, none was more 
actively engaged in the work than Mr. Cookman. His preach- 
ing, speaking, and private conversations were a feature of the 
meeting. 

On returning home from Round Lake, he barely took time 
to brush from his feet the dust of one field before he was off to 
another. He attended at least four camp-meetings on the Pe- 
ninsula — hastening from the Camden Union to Talbot Union, 
near Easton, Maryland, and thence to EnnalPs Springs, and 
thence homeward to Brandywine Summit. His labors at any 
one of these meetings would have been enough to exhaust most 
men, but he went through them all with an unflagging interest. 
His zeal and strength seemed to know no abatement. Every 
where his presence excited the utmost enthusiasm, and both 
preachers and people rallied under his leadership with a unanim- 
ity and intentness which rendered his services during this season 
ever memorable for the marvelous victories achieved for the 
cross of Christ. The like had not been known in this time-hon- 
ored region for many years — the old battle-grounds of Asbury, 
Garrettson, Smith, Laurenson, Cooper, and others of the fathers, 
resounded with songs of triumph, which carried the " oldest in- 
habitants living " back to the former days, and made them feel 
that modern Methodism was still instinct with apostolic fire. 

To his wife, at Columbia, Pennsylvania : 

" Wilmington, July 25, 1869. 

"It is half-past ten o'clock, time for retiring, but before I give myself to 
dreams I will pen a few lines for your pleasure. I am in the parsonage ; 
have slept here every night since I left you. It is rather desolate ; never- 
theless I am retired and more independent than I could be at the homes ot 
the dear friends. I have had a very blessed day. Preached morning and 
evening to large congregations respecting the preciousness of Christ. It 
was manna for my own soul. Our Sabbath- evening prayer-meeting was very 
tender and profitable. The Camden camp-meeting is in full blast. Presi- 
dent Wilson went down yesterday. I am proposing to leave in the morn- 
ing, and remain there till Wednesday morning, when I shall return in time 

Q 



362 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



to take the two P.M. train from Philadelphia for Long Branch. Many of 
the families are absent, but their places are filled with the members of other 
churches and strangers, so that we have had about our usual congrega- 
tion. The friends now are all interested in the prospect of the Brandywine 
camp. Their proposition is to provide a tent for us. They will not hear 
to any thing else than our presence. We will have to curtail our time a lit- 
tle at Ennall's, and give a week to our own people. I believe this is about 
all the news I have to communicate. My heart is kept in great peace by 
the presence and power of the indwelling Spirit. Jesus is unspeakably 
precious. This is the first letter that I have written you for a long time. 
I know that I am a poor husband and father — not nearly so attentive or 
affectionate as I ought to be ; nevertheless there are none so dear to me as 
my little home circle. I want to be a great deal more demonstrative of my 
real feeling. Pray for me. You know what a good-for-nothing brother I 
am in my own estimation. The love of my friends and of the blessed Jesus 
amazes me." 

To his wife : 

" Wilmington, Saturday morning, July 31. 

" Excuse the lead-pencil ; it is the best I can do at the present moment. 
During this week I have been so situated that correspondence or letters 
have been out of the question. President Wilson, however, was a living 
epistle, who communicated at least that he had seen me, and that I was well. 
The friends at Camden were very kind, and I had a pleasant time. The 
meeting did not strike me as any thing special. On Tuesday Bishop James 
preached a really powerful sermon. There were some conversions, but so- 
ciability and fashion seemed to rule the hour. On Wednesday I proceeded 
to Ocean Grove, reaching there in the evening about half-past seven. I 

found a number of tents erected, and Brother H , of Troy, and wife and 

daughter ; Brother H , of Albany, and wife and daughter and son ; 

Brother T and wife ; Brother S and wife ; Brother O and 

wife ; Brother F and wife; Hughes, Stockton, Andrews and wife, etc., 

etc. — a nice company, and a specially nice time boating, bathing, riding, 
rambling, singing, praying, enjoying clambakes, hard and soft crabs, oysters, 
and regular sea-side living. Oh, how much and how often we all longed 
for you to share our enjoyments ! 

" The place is, of course, rather rough as yet, but it impresses me most 
favorably. I believe it can be made one of the attractive spots of the con- 
tinent. An extensive grove — beautiful sites for cottages — a splendid beach, 
and then two lakes on either side, constituting the northern and southern 



UNION CAMP-MEETING, EASTOX, MD. 



363 



boundaries of the property — lakes not deep, but full of fish, crabs, etc., and 
where the children could swim, boat, etc. 

"I left Long Branch, or Ocean Grove, yesterday morning, and arrived at 
Wilmington again at one o'clock; found and eagerly read your letters, and 
now propose to start to-day for Easton, Marvland, where the camp-meeting 
is in progress. They are painfully anxious respecting my presence. Re- 
turning the latter part of the week, I do not think that I can be absent from 
Grace Church next Sabbath; but after the Sabbath will hope on Tuesday 
or Wednesday to join you in Columbia, and on Friday start for Ennall's 
Springs. By this arrangement I will scarcely have a Sabbath for Columbia 
this summer. The friends here are generally well. Xow what say you to 

Williamsport, Pennsylvania ? T writes me offering the Presidency of 

Dickinson Seminar}-, talks about the education of my boys — opportunity for 
preaching all over, etc., etc., and asks for a decision; but I believe I do not 
see it as he does. The pastorate, I reckon, is my proper place. We will talk 
it and other matters over when we meet. But my space is disappearing. 
Give love and kisses to my dear children. Tell them to be good and gen- 
tle and obedient and kind. If practicable, I will write from the Peninsula." 

The Union camp-meeting, held near Easton, Maryland, under 
the management of Rev. Dr. E. Kenney, was very successful. 

"Rev. A. Cookman, of Wilmington, was present nearly the entire time, 
and his devotion of spirit was participated in by the ministers on the ground. 
The entire encampment was divided into sections, and the ministers were 
appointed to daily duty in pastoral visitation to every tent in the section to 
which they were assigned. Even* tent was visited, and the inmates person- 
ally talked with on the subject of religion, and prayer was had with all in 
the tent. At one o'clock each day every tent on the ground was closed for 
a short season of silent prayer. The voice of prayer could be heard from 
different parts of the ground during the intervals of public service ; and, as 
a result, this meeting was a great success. 

" On the last night of the Easton meeting, over one hundred and fifty pen- 
itents knelt at the altar for prayers. At eight o'clock each morning meet- 
ings were held for the distinct object of the sanctification of believers, and 
at nearly every sendee many presented themselves as subjects of prayer 
who were seeking heart purity or the forgiveness of sins. There was no dis- 
cussion on controverted points of theology, but in perfect harmony all la- 
bored together to promote Christ's work in the hearts of the people."* 



* Correspondence of The Methodist, 1869, 



3^4 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



As evidence of Mr. Cookman's power in prayer, an incident 
which occurred at this meeting is given by the Rev. John Field, 

of Philadelphia, who was with him at the time : " Captain D 

had presented himself repeatedly at the altar of prayer. One 
day at the close of the morning service the Captain came out 
of the woods, where he had been engaged in private prayer, and 
bowed again at the altar. Brother Cookman noticed him, and 
immediately called attention to him. 1 Now,' said he, ' God has 
promised to answer the united prayers of two or three, let us 

put Him to the test.' Turning to Brother A -, he inquired, 

' Do you believe this ?' Brother A answered in the affirm- 
ative. He asked Brother B the same question, and he 

also answered in the affirmative. Brother Cookman said, 'I 
also believe God's Word and His promise.' Amid profound si- 
lence the company bowed in prayer. Brother A prayed, 

then Brother B . Brother Cookman followed. He carried 

the case of the poor penitent right to the Cross, and just as he 
closed his earnest prayer, 

" ' Heaven came down our souls to greet, 
While glory crowned the mercy-seat.' 

God's blessed Spirit witnessed with Captain D.'s that he was 
born of God. The Captain put his hand into his side-pocket, 
and, taking therefrom his pocket Bible, said, ' Now I understand 
it' — the passage still marked and pointing to it. 'I went out 
alone, bowed beneath the shade of a friendly tree, and opened 
my Bible ; my eye rested on this passage, " But thou, when thou 
prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, 
pray to thy Father which is in secret ; and thy Father which 
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." I was to be reward- 
ed openly, and I am, amid this vast assembly — Glory be to the 
Lamb !' Brother Cookman took the Bible, and wrote in it, 
'McNeil's Woods, August, noon, A.D. 1869, the happiest day 
of my life,' and the Captain signed it. 

During the progress of the meeting he preached frequently 



ennall's springs camp-meeting. 



365 



and with great power. On one occasion he remained up the 
whole night, going from tent to tent, instructing penitents, and 
praying with them." 

Nowhere was Mr. Cookman more at home than at Ennall's 
Springs, Dorchester County, Maryland. He had been accus- 
tomed from his early ministry to resort to that beautiful spot, 
honored of God in the conversion of so many people. This 
year was the semi-centennial of its appropriation as a place for 
camp-meetings. The most delightful memories thronged about 
the place ; thousands on earth and thousands in heaven had 
been brought to God there, and it was proposed to observe the 
occasion by suitable services. The account of the meeting by 
a correspondent Of The Methodist will be read with pleasure by 
all lovers of the sacred place, and all who prize genuine camp- 
meetings : 

" Rev. Mr. Prettyman, who was present at trie first meeting held on the 
ground, which was under the charge of Father Boehm, was present, and 
spoke frequently and with thrilling pathos of scenes witnessed on the ground 
half a century ago. President Wilson, of the Wesleyan Female College ; 
Professor Bowman, of Dickinson College; Professor Fischer, of Philadel- 
phia; Mr. Hurst, of Baltimore ; Rev. Alfred Cookman, of Wilmington, were 
present, and, with Rev. N. M. Brown, preacher in charge, Messrs. Buoys, 
Watson, Tompkinson, Burke, and others of our own locality, rendered effi- 
cient service. This meeting has been specially favored for a number of 
years with the earnest labors of the sweet-spirited Cookman, who seems, 
when there, to be as one with his own kindred. Fondly cherished as he is 
by the people, his services are signally successful. His name is identified 
with the greatest triumphs of Christ in this locality of late years, and his an- 
nual visitation is highly appreciated by the people, and his absence would 
be greatly felt by them. We may express the hope here that, for the honor 
and success of Methodism on the Eastern Shore, this meeting may be re- 
membered by our ministerial brethren and friends in the laity in future years. 
Its influence has been very great in concentrating the feeling and interest 
of our people in the old Church, and it has contributed, perhaps, as much 
as any other single influence, toward holding the people together, and keep- 
ing them loyal to the Church in the trying times of the last nine years. 

" The meeting this year has not fallen behind former occasions. Besides 



3 66 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



the ordinary services, special meetings were held each day for ministers, con- 
ducted by Rev. A. Cookman; for the children, in which occurred a number 
of conversions ; and for the young ladies on the ground, the latter conduct- 
ed by Mrs. Cookman, Mrs. President Wilson, and Miss Emily Stevenson. 

" The most liberal arrangements were made for the entertainment of the 
preachers in attendance. The lodging-rooms consisted of a well-arranged 
frame house attached to the preaching-stand, where every home convenience 
was found. The honor of this arrangement belongs to Mr. Robert Thomp- 
son, who erected the building at his own expense. But these good people 
are not satisfied with extending a week's hospitality to the preachers that 
come to assist in the meetings, but they gladly welcome their wives and fam- 
ilies as well, and the richest provision is made for their entertainment. 

" The Sabbath was kept holy, and, although large crowds assembled to 
listen to the preaching, there was nothing to complain of on the score of 
show in dress, or time wasted in promenading, or any disorder. The serv- 
ices were ushered in by a prayer-meeting of interest at five o'clock, followed 
by an old-fashioned love-feast at eight. The latter was held in front of 
the stand, and was conducted by Professor Bowman. 

" The ground soon became densely thronged, and a score or more of min- 
isters were on the stand, when, at ten o'clock, Rev. A. Cookman arose and 
announced, as the text for the morning sermon, the words : ' Be filled with the 
Spirit.' His sermon was listened to with undivided interest and attention." 

At Brandywine Summit, a few days later, he was preaching 
and working with equal power. It was not enough for him to 
deliver one of the sermons on Sunday, but he must occupy the 
pulpit the last evening of the meeting. He was found, too, 
among the children, lifting, by his tender, Christ-like spirit, the 
little ones to God. 

" Rev. A. Cookman on the last night of the meeting preached a search- 
ing sermon, calling upon the people to estimate the value of the soul, and 
what is lost in losing it, and what profit it would be if all else in this life 
was gained but the soul lost. At midnight, in the greatest solemnity, the 
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered to about thirteen hundred 
persons. 

" The children's meetings, held during the progress of the camp, and un- 
der the management of Rev. Messrs. Cookman, Clymer, Gracey, and Pan- 
coast, were of more than usual interest. They were not mere occasions of 
amusement in story-telling and pleasure in singing, but the most searching 



PLEASING INCIDENT AT SPRING GARDEN. 



367 



appeals were made to the children, and prayer-meeting followed, when scores 
presented themselves at the altar for prayers, and many were converted. 
Nothing during the meeting was more impressive than to see these little 
ones of the household arise and tell of the love of Jesus as they felt it in 
their hearts. In these meetings, little boys and girls, from ten to fourteen 
years of age, led in earnest prayer. While a sacred stillness prevailed in 
the immense tent in which the services were held, the voice of a boy or girl 
arose in sweetest tones to the throne of heavenly mercy, aged veterans knelt 
before God with faces bathed in tears, and vast crowds looked on, while a 
little child should lead them. On the last day, the brethren above mention- 
ed stood in the midst of this exceedingly large and interesting group of chil- 
dren, and, while many tears were shed, shook hands with each, and invoked 
on each the divine blessing. Mothers came leading their little ones forward 
to be prayed for by Christian pastors."* 

In connection with the children's meeting referred to, a pleas- 
ing incident which occurred while Mr. Cookman was at Spring 
Garden may be appropriately mentioned. A gentleman from 
the far West, writing immediately after his death, said : 

" I attended his ministry at Spring Garden, Philadelphia, during the win- 
ter of 1S66. I loved him then, but not as I have for the past five years. 
* * * I shall never forget one incident that occurred at that church — that 
was when a dear little son of his, of only eight years, presented himself as 
a candidate for probation. My heart melted then, as hundreds besides, 
when I saw the strong man bowed like a child, and heard him ask the Church 
if he should receive that lamb into the fold. I saw the loving father then 
as never before — also the Spirit of Christ, when he said, « Suffer little chil- 
dren to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of 
Heaven.' 

" When I saw Brother Cookman years afterward, I asked him if he re- 
membered that incident, and if that little boy had remained faithful. ' Oh, 
yes,' he said; 1 he is about twelve years old now, and is a sanctified boy.' " 

While on this subject it will not be amiss to insert an extract 
from a short speech which fell from his lips on one occasion at 
a Sunday-school convention : 

" The Rev. Alfred Cookman arose, and expressed his confidence in the 
conversion of children, declaring that he did not believe 'the way to heaven 



* Correspondence of The Methodist. 



368 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



lay through the territory of sin,' but that children at an early age might be 
brought to a saving knowledge of redeeming love; citing as an illustration 
the case of a boy who was converted at the age of ten, who was a pupil in 
the Sabbath-school, became a teacher, a librarian, an exhorter, afterward a 
minister of the Gospel, and who then stood before them, to speak his faith 
in the power of regenerating grace in the hearts of the young. 

" Mr. Cookman of course referred to his own history ; and those who are 
familiar with his love for children, and his rare power to interest them, can 
not but feel grateful that he was so early called of God, since perhaps to this 
may be attributed that sympathy which he entertains for them ; a sympathy 
which has encouraged many youthful hearts to beat with holy aspirations 
for the favor of that Saviour who said, ' Suffer little children to come unto 
me.' " 

After his return from these meetings, Mr. Cookman wrote to 
the Rev. L. R. Dunn, of the Newark Conference : 

" You will be glad to know that the banner of full salvation is flying glo- 
riously in the forests of this time-honored section. The spirit of holiness 
that made Abbott and Garrettson and our fathers great, is coming back to 
the churches founded by their hands over all this historic region. The 
breath of the Divinity is stirring. Hallelujah !" 



CHAPTER XXI. 



GRACE CHURCH. — SKILL IN THE PASTORATE. — NATIONAL CAMP- 
MEETINGS AT HAMILTON, OAKINGTON, AND DESPLAINES. 

The camp-meetings over, the devout pastor was once more 
quietly seated in the bosom of his family, and again engaged 
in those regular pastoral duties which to him were more con- 
genial than all besides. It was in vain that he was invited to 
step aside from his chosen work into an educational institution 
— whatever might be the advantages of a settled home and 
school facilities for his children, his mission, to himself at least, 
was clear. The immediate care of souls was to him unspeaka- 
bly precious ; to feed the flock of Christ, an employment be- 
yond any other which the Church could offer him. The state 
of his feelings and the state of his parish are reflected in a 
letter to his friend, Rev. J. S. Inskip, President of the National 
Camp-meeting Association : 

"Wilmington, November 5, 1869. 

" I thank you for your kind letter. Your debtor in correspondence, I was 
thinking of discharging the obligation, and thus writing another missive, 
when, lo ! my large-hearted brother heaps favor on favor. This is like the 
Divine ; and I know you want to bear the image of the Heavenly. 

" Before your last note arrived, I had received from Brother Gray the ar- 
ticles of agreement respecting the Oakington meeting, which I read, signed, 
and forwarded to the brethren at Havre de Grace. They seemed to cover 
all the points that had occurred to my mind. Their desire to have the 
counsel and co-operation of Brother Samuel Hindes is, I think, wise and 
well. He will prove, I believe, a most valuable helper. I deeply sympa- 
thize with all you write respecting the magnitude of our responsibilities, 
and the great need of power — physical, intellectual, and spiritual — that we 
may stand in our lot, and quit ourselves successfully as the servants of holi- 

Q 3 



37o 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ness. My encouragement, however, is that we are moving in the divine 
order, and that in the path of God's appointment we may confidently hope 
for His presence and help, which guarantee the right results. We have put 
our hands in the grasp of the Infinite, saying, 

" ' Only Thou our leader be, 
And we still will follow Thee.' 

Where divine wisdom will lead us, or what our Father may have for us to do 
in the future, remains to be known. When clubs of athletes are crossing 
oceans and continents for a simple and useless test of physical skill and power, 
who knows but bands of Christian brothers may be summoned to the shores 
of the Pacific or the sea-girt isle to fling out the banner of Christian holi- 
ness, and offer the sweetest privilege, the richest experience, that God has 
arranged for our wretched but redeemed race. I am very humble, quiet, 
trustful, and peaceful in my spiritual state. My hope and help are in the 
Lord Jehovah that made heaven and earth. He has never done otherwise 
than honor and vindicate my confidence in Him, and I am encouraged to 
lean harder on His truth and power and love. 

" Our Wednesday meeting is still well attended, and proves a fountain of 
blessing. We have Christians of all names, and they place an increasing 
appreciation on the privilege. God has been pouring out His spirit in some 
of the churches, especially on old Asbury — the altar is crowded from even- 
ing to evening with a most interesting class of penitents. Mercy drops with 
the prospect of a glorious shower of grace, and is falling on Epworth, the 
Mission Chapel of Grace. Oh, that Wilmington may be baptized in an un- 
precedented manner and measure ! Mrs. C is well, and wishes to be 

most affectionately remembered to Sister Inskip and yourself. Write soon. 
I love you tenderly in the blessed Jesus." 

He was invited to Philadelphia to speak at the anniversary of 
the Young Men's Christian Association, held in the Academy of 
Music, November 30th. In the address which he delivered one 
can not but be struck with the great theme which seemed more 
and more to fill his mind, and which he deemed so important 
to Christian workers as hardly to be omitted without recognition 
upon all occasions — dependence upon the Holy Ghost. 

* * * "The people heard Seneca, excellent man as he was; they heard 
Seneca and the excellent truths he spoke, and deteriorated in their morals — 
they got worse and worse, The world has been listening to the teachings 



PR0PAGAND1SM. 



371 



of Jesus — listening during all these centuries ; and, as these gentlemen will 
bear me witness, the world has been getting better and better in consequence 
of these truths. 

" Mr. President, I know of no satisfactory answer that can be supplied 
except that our Christianity has the Holy Ghost in it. It has the Word ; 
it has the truth which gives light ; but it has the Holy Spirit of God that 
gives life. And what we want is Life ; for the world is dead, terribly dead, 
in trespasses and sins. In illustration of what I mean : I take it that there 
is not an individual in any of these galleries or under the sound of my voice, 
no$ one but is familiar with that fundamental truth, ' Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart and soul and mind and strength.' We all 
hold that now ; but how many of this vast audience really do love God ' with 
all their heart and soul and mind and strength ?' Perhaps, if appealed to 
personally or privately, many would say we have not the disposition; some 
would confess that they were lacking in the ability. Now, mark, they have 
the truth ; they have it all their lives long ; but yet they do not love God 
with all their hearts. What then ? Let these come to God ; let them ask for 
the ability ; let them ask in the name of Christ and Him crucified ; let them 
plead with a humble reliance upon God's strength, His strength ; this is 
leading men in Christ Jesus. In answer to their prayer the Holy Ghost 
shall be given, and then they will not only know to love God, as they have 
during all these years, but they will love God with all their heart. It will 
not only be a fact in their minds, but it will be an experience in their hearts ; 
it will be a power, a blessed saving power in their lives. 

"This, sir, I feel is just what our associations and churches and com- 
munities are now so much needing. We need this divine power, this super- 
natural power ; it is necessary to accompany and apply the truth to the 
minds and hearts of those with whom we have to do. * * * 

" In trying to do good in the world, the Infinite One fills us, inspires us, 
emboldens us, ennobles us, saves us, blesses us, makes us strong in nature 
and in the power of His might. Oh ! does not this quiet, thoughtful, attent- 
ive audience see the point I would make ? Entirely consecrated to the serv- 
ice, and then filled with God ! A co-worker with Omnipotence ! I challenge 
the world to supply a more sublime ideal of character, of experience, of 
life !" 

To Mr. W. W. Cookman, of Philadelphia : 

" Wilmington, Del., December 7, 1869. 
" We have just received Mary's note, acquainting us with your indisposi- 
tion. The first prompting was to cast aside every thing and hasten to your 



372 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



home. This, however, is a busy day with me, and all the more busy because 
I have just returned from Baltimore, where I have been rendering some 
little service. Be assured, dear Will, of our deepest sympathy with you in 
your affliction. We would be submissive to all the divine arrangements, 
but, indeed, it gives us real pain to think that you are confined to your bed, 
a subject of suffering. You know we would do any thing in the world to 
serve or help you — for you are a very precious brother to me. I love you 
with a deep, true love, that grows stronger day by day. In this trial you will 
learn a lesson of patient endurance and quiet submission. Our Father, the 
God of the fatherless, carries you in His arms, and most probably never 
loved you so much as now ; for He has the tenderest sympathy and deepest 
affection for His suffering children. We will not forget to commend you in 
earnest and frequent prayer to His providential care and fatherly love. We 
shall hope to see you on Friday. Keep up your spirits, trust implicitly in 
God, and all will be well. Love for Mary, kisses for the children." 

To Mr. W. W. Cookman : 

" Wilmington, December 30, 1869. 
" It was very neglectful in me to allow so many days to elapse before 
acknowledging your brotherly generosity — but for a week now we have been 
a very excited family. The Sabbath with its duties followed Christmas very 
closely. This over, the next thing was a golden wedding at Mr. Gause's, in 
which, as the pastor of the family, I was expected to take a part. We received 
first the barrel of flour, and afterward the children's presents, for all of 
which we were deeply and tenderly thankful. May our Heavenly Father 
reward you a thousand-fold for your considerate and most acceptable kind- 
ness. The Christmas season has been full of joy in our domestic life. The 
return of our children, their generally good health, their gratification with 
their presents, their jubilant spirits, all have conspired to make it an unusu- 
ally happy time. I have fared better than for many years. A couple of 
gentlemen presented me with a suit of clothes, our young men with an over- 
coat, the ladies with a nice cashmere wrapper, and another gentleman with 
a new hat. All these articles were just what I really needed, and, of course, 
were most acceptable. ' Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His 
benefits.' We think a great deal about you during your affliction, and every 
day very carefully commend you to God in earnest prayer. We trust that 
the means used may be specially and speedily blessed, so that you may be 
able to take your place again in life's busy arena. Meanwhile get out of this 
dispensation all the spiritual wealth that may be extracted from it ; remem- 
bering that, after all, the spiritual is as much better than the material as the 



CHRISTMAS JOYS. — A JUST TRIBUTE. 



373 



soul is of more consequence than its frail, fleshly home. God bless you and 
yours." 

The Christmas festival was a delight to Mr. Cookman, and 
was always appropriately observed by suitable religious and so- 
cial exercises. His house, with its interchange of gifts and sal- 
utations, was a scene of cheerful gayety. With his own children 
and the children of the Sunday-school he mingled freely, re- 
minding them by his innocent mirthfulness that the religion 
which Jesus was born to establish is fitted to make every body 
happy. The enthusiastic and tasteful celebrations of the sea- 
son on its annual returns while he was at Grace Church were 
among the pleasantest occurrences of his pastorate, and can not 
be soon blotted from the memories of his young parishioners. 

In March, 1870, Mr. Cookman was re-appointed for the third 
year to Grace Church. 

His delicate tact and tender thoughtfulness as a pastor were 
happily illustrated quite early in the year in connection with 
the last illness of one of the devout ladies of his Church, Mrs. 
Bates, the wife of Chancellor Bates. Mr. Bates's note, accom- 
panying the letters written by Mr. Cookman to Mrs. Bates, af- 
ford the best explanation of the case, and also offer a very just 
tribute to the worth of the faithful pastor. 

D. M. Bates, Esq., of Wilmington, Delaware, to the Rev. J. E. 
Cookman : 

"The letter, of which the inclosed is a copy, was written by Mr. Cookman 
to Mrs. Bates during her last illness, at a period when a failure of voice pre- 
cluded her from conversation with friends — hence the occasion for his giv- 
ing her pastoral advice and sympathy by letter. It was most gratefully ap- 
preciated by her, and often read with expressions of great pleasure, and with 
much consolation and help under her feebleness. She held him in affec- 
tionate confidence and regard, and cordially received and rested upon his 
counsels — and this letter, together with a subsequent one written from New 
England, of which also a copy is inclosed with this, did much toward inspiring 
her with a more cheerful and resigned spirit under her declining strength. It 
is a beautiful outflow of pastoral affection, breathing the very spirit of Christ 



374 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



himself, and containing sentiments worthy to be written in letters of gold. 
It is a memorial of both the departed far more precious than rubies." 

To Mrs. D. M. Bates, of Wilmington : 

" Wilmington, May 31, 1870. 

" You must not think that we have forgotten you in your affliction. A 
hundred times you have been in our thoughts, and very frequently, if it had 
been deemed practicable or best, we would have offered you in person the 
sympathy of a pastor's heart. It has occurred to me that a message of love 
through this medium might not be unwelcome, and hence I take a moment 
to communicate that there are some hearts outside of your happy home that 
are concerned for your welfare, and that do not fail or forget to present you 
in your feebleness to that Father who does not willingly afflict any of his 
dear children. The dispensation that withdraws you from the active duties 
of domestic life is profoundly mysterious. We will not presumptuously 
venture an explanation of this providence. At the same time, you will be 
comforted by the remembrance that our Father, if inscrutable, is never wrong. 
Clouds frequently cover His ways, but there is light on the other side of the 
cloud — light to reveal the fact of mystery — light with which we may meet 
the obligations and trials of the passing hour. We must ' trust where we 
can not trace,' and remember that while living the life of faith we are mov- 
ing as safely as though we understood every thing. ' He that dwell eth in 
the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Al- 
mighty.' 

" May I affectionately counsel that, with an implicit and steady reliance 
upon Jesus for the help of the Almighty Spirit, you accept all the will of God 
moment by moment — aye, take that will into your heart, and love it better 
than all beside ; for the difference between the unsaved and the fully saved 
is that while the former find the will of God without them, and are obliged to 
submit to what they can not change, the latter find that same will within 
them, and very cheerfully submit to what they would not change. 

" Let this season of affliction be an epochal time in your earthly history — 
constituted such not only by a fuller, but by the fullest submission of your- 
self and family and all to the infinitely excellent will of your Father in 
Heaven. You may safely trust that will, for it is never arbitrary, never 
wrong. It is always the expression of divine wisdom and love. 

" As you sometimes indulge in prospective vision, say that all the rest of 
your life shall be, in the fullest and strictest sense, a consecrated life — a life 
hid with Christ in God — a life blessed in its experiences and in its results, 
concerning itself principally for the spiritual welfare of those around you, 



A BREATH OF LOVE FOR THE SICK-ROOM. 



375 



and linking itself with the glory and triumph of the eternal future. Take 
this opportunity that the providence of God gives to write on all you have 
and are and hope for, ' Sacred to Jesus,' and spend the rest of your life in 
steadily 1 Looking only unto Jesus.' These two sentences may be profitable 
mottoes for every useful and glorious life. 

" Excuse the liberty I thus take in writing to you. My note may be a 
word in season. In any case, it will furnish assurance that you are remem- 
bered with sympathy and love and prayer by your tenderly attached pastor."' 

To Mrs. D. M. Bates : 

"Hamilton Camp-ground, Massachusetts, June 29, 1870. 

"You will be surprised perhaps to receive this letter, but it will at least 
indicate that, although far away, still you are remembered by your affection- 
ate pastor ; and not only have you a place in my thoughts, but also in my 
prayers. Many times in this consecrated forest I have been reminded of 
you in your feebleness, and lifted up my soul to God that He would be with 
you and bless you, and make your sickness a signal and glorious passage in 
your earthly history. We are having really a most wonderful time at our 
Hamilton camp-meeting, the first service of the kind I have ever attended 
in New England. The attendance is from all the surrounding states, and 
the interest and divine power exceed, I think, any thing I have ever wit- 
nessed. Hundreds of ministers and people are concerned to enjoy their full 
privilege in the Gospel. The community in this section is generally more 
intellectual and less demonstrative than that in the Middle and Southern 
States. They can and do meet mind with mind, but that still leaves the 
heart untouched. They want Holy Ghost power, and, asking, God is glori- 
ously giving it to them. Unless I am greatly mistaken, the effects of this 
extraordinary meeting will be far-reaching and most blessed. Oh I my dear 
sister, I do so much wish that your kind heart and whole being shall be en- 
tirely filled with God, submitting to His will in every particular, and tasting 
the joy of perfect love. Let us be altogether and eternally the Lord's. 

" I thought that a breath of love from Xew England might bring a mo- 
ment's refreshment to you in your sick-room. Give my tenderest love to 
the Judge, and to your sons and daughters." 

Mr. Cookman's judgment in dealing with the sick was proved 
not alone in the feminine gentleness with which he could antic- 
ipate the needs of the cultured pious lady, but also in the force 
and skill with which he would approach the hardened and im- 
penitent man. When he was stationed at Trinity, New York, 



376 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



a gentleman called upon him and requested him to visit a son, 
who was ill. The young man had been very wayward, was 
still obdurate, and refused all religious counsel and prayer. 
Mr. Cookman went, but the young man declined conversation 
— wished to have nothing to do with him ; but instead of in- 
sisting, he immediately withdrew, with the quiet, loving remark, 
" Well, my friend, you may refuse to let me talk and pray with 
you, but you can not prevent my praying for you." This kind 
word had its desired effect. He called again very soon to in- 
quire for the invalid, and, to the surprise of all, was welcomed 
by him and invited to pray. The visits were repeated until the 
young man professed to be converted, and died confessing his 
faith in Christ. 

From the last letter it will be seen that Mr. Cookman had 
already, thus early in the summer, entered upon his yearly 
camp-meeting tour. 

The National Association had determined upon three camp- 
meetings for the year 1870 — the first at Hamilton, Massachu- 
setts, June 21st; the second at Oakington, Maryland, June 
1 2th; and the third at Desplaines, Illinois, August 9th — all of 
which Mr. Cookman attended, preaching at them all, and labor- 
ing with the untiring zeal which had heretofore characterized 
him. 

His impressions at the Hamilton meeting have been already 
partially presented. At the meeting alluded to in this letter he 
is reported to have said, "How I joy in that divine declaration, 
1 Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the 
Father may be glorified in the Son.' This has been the very 
best Sabbath-day of all my earthly Sabbaths. An isolation 
from the world in the sense of non-conformity is the secret of 
spiritual power. I am able and I am willing to be a witness — 
and if alone, I would hold up this banner." The Sunday-even- 
ing service was assigned to him, but, instead of preaching, he 
narrated his experience. 



HAMILTON AND OAKINGTON CAMP-MEETINGS. 



377 



I give a letter from this place to his wife : 

" Hamilton Camp-ground, Monday. 
" On Saturday I dropped you a few lines, acquainting you with my unin- 
terrupted journey to and safe arrival at this place. "When I wrote the 
weather was insufferably warm ; I scarcely ever experienced any thing equal 
to it. The same night, however, it stormed, the wind veering around to the 
east, and giving us a rainy Sabbath. The services, consequently, were held in 
our new tabernacle. It was a wonderful Sabbath, certainly the best of any we 
have spent in the woods as a National Committee. Brother Wells preached 
in the morning on consecration, Brother Boole in the afternoon on the spir- 
itual life of the Church ; in the .evening I had charge of the services, not 
preaching, but exhorting and directing the prayer-meeting. The friends are 
expecting a sermon from me to-morrow. From the love-feast in the morn- 
ing until the closing service at night, it was extraordinary. This meeting, in 
its interest and power, is a great success. The brethren feel that in its im- 
pressiveness and holy influence it is equal to or ahead of Round Lake. 
There are very few from the large cities of Philadelphia, New York, or 
Boston. A large proportion of the people seem to be from Maine. Scores 
and hundreds are coming into the liberty of full salvation. Mrs. Wright is 
here, concerned to do her part. I am so interrupted in writing that it is 
difficult to proceed — tent full of brethren. I hold you constantly before 
God." 

The camp-meeting at Oakington, July 12th, near Havre de 
Grace, Maryland, was very numerously attended. At one of 
the earlier prayer-meetings Mr. Cookman, addressing the 
friends, spoke in substance as follows : 

" We desire for your own sake, for the sake of your comfort, usefulness, 
but especially for Jesus' sake — we desire for you a rich, round, full, abiding, 
blessed religious experience and life. Oh, how gladly and thankfully we 
would help you this morning if we could ! But we are reminded that there is 
a better Leader, a better Teacher, even the Holy Ghost. He guides into 
all truth. He takes of the things of Christ, the truth of Christ, the power 
of Christ, the blood of Christ, the grace of Christ, and shows them unto 
us. Let us put ourselves under His divine tuition. Blessed Spirit, Third 
Person of the adorable Trinity, proceeding from the Father and the Son, 
we acknowledge Thee, we worship Thee, we praise Thee, we love Thee, we 
seek fellowship with Thee, we want to be filled this day, and every day, 
and constantly, with all this fullness. Oh, hear our prayer in this morning 



378 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



service ! Come and direct our thoughts ; come and quicken our desires ; 
come and help our faith ; come and enable us in all the services this day to 
sing— 

" ' Come, Holy Ghost, for Thee we call ; 
Spirit of power and blessing, come.' " 

The correspondent of The Methodist* writing from Oaking- 
ton, evidently in the counsels of the National Committee, vin- 
dicates their course in declining to invite ministers to preach 
who differed with them on the doctrine of entire sanctification. 
There is scarcely one point in the conduct of the committee 
which had up to this time subjected them to so much criti- 
cism. With the explanation given, their decision in the matter 
seems sufficiently reasonable ; especially as it was not meant to 
exclude ministers from preaching at their camp-meetings upon 
grounds of merely technical, but of radical, differences of opin- 
ion on the subject of holiness : 

" The sermons were all of interest, and all bearing upon the one theme to 
be kept prominently in view during this meeting. The rule adopted by the 
committee in former meetings was duly observed here — namely, to call to 
the stand to preach only such ministers as are clear in their views and ex- 
perience of the grace of Christian perfection ; they feel more than ever the 
responsibility of abiding by this rule, since, as was stated in The Northern 
Christian Advocate, they are singly and severely responsible to the world 
and the Church that nothing that is presented at these meetings shall be 
anti-Scriptural or anti-Methodistical. With this responsibility upon them, 
they do well to retain entire supervision of every meeting held upon the 
ground. With this watchful supervision, there is no danger to be appre- 
hended that any new doctrine will be introduced or any schism occur. 
Nothing here presented will have any tendency to divide the Church. The 
key-note is harmony, love, and union. They set up no tests, but ask only 
for purity of heart, and a confession of the saving power of the blood of 
Jesus. There is no radicalism but the radicalism of love ; and no visions 
or new revelations or prophecies ; but earnest, heart-searching, sin-subdu- 
ing, soul-invigorating power. These men fight with the old guns of Meth- 
odism, and seek only the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire." 



* July 30, 1870. 



DESPLAINES. — FULL OF WORK. 



379 



So general was the attendance at this meeting, that, 

"When the roll of the states was called, representatives answered from 
all the states and territories but three. An Indian from Northern Michi- 
gan, and ministers recently from India, China, Australia, Canada, England, 
Germany, Ireland, and our territories in the far West, testified of the tri- 
umphs of religion in their localities." 

To accommodate the numerous friends of the national move- 
ment in the West,- a camp-meeting was also held at Desplaines, 
Illinois, near Chicago, on the 9th of iVugust. A correspondent 
writing of it, said : 

" Sunday was a great day. The prayer-meeting at five o'clock — largely 
attended — was led by Rev. A. Cookman. At eight the love-feast was held ; 
Rev. L. R. Dunn presided. Nearly three hundred gave in their testimonies. 
The people represented not only the Eastern, Western, Middle, and South- 
ern States of our own country, but England, Ireland, Germany, Wales, Rus- 
sia, Africa, Canada, Sweden, and the Argentine Republic. Many of these 
testimonies, though brief, were truly thrilling, both in word and spirit. As 
an example : A colored man from Canada said, ' Forty years ago my soul 
was set at liberty, even before my body was emancipated.' " 

Amid all the duties and excitements of the meeting, Mr. 
Cookman found time for correspondence. 
To his wife : 



" It is really very difficult to find time for correspondence even with my 
precious Annie. Meetings begin at five A.M. and continue until bed-time. 
These, with meals and conversation, occupy almost every moment. Your 
kind letter came to hand yesterday. It was most refreshing to hear from 
home. God be praised for His goodness to my loved ones. Yesterday the 
morning sermon fell to my lot. We had a cool hour, a large congregation, 
and our kind Heavenly Father allowed me a most comfortable time. I 
might write many kind things that were said of the discourse, but this you 
know is not my taste or style. Just at the close of my sermon I invited 
brethren of the ministry and laity to gather in the altar. Brother Matlack, 
of New Orleans, preached in the afternoon a very tender sermon — Brother 
Welling in the evening, and Brother McDonald this mcrning. The meet- 
ing is wonderful — wonderful — wonderful. 



" Desplaines Camp-ground, Saturday mornin 
Summer of 1870. 




3 8o 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



" Such unanimity, earnestness, and divine power have scarcely been par- 
alleled at any of our previous meetings. Yesterday was one of the best 
days I ever spent in a consecrated forest. An influence seemed to pervade 
the encampment that got hold of every body — the best men both of the min- 
istry and laity. Last night it was very cold, cold enough for October j dur- 
ing the night it began to rain, and to-day the rain continues, driving us all 
to the tabernacle. We are most pleasantly situated in our forest cottage, 
and our boarding arrangements are most excellent — first-rate table and most 
attentive waiters. God is very good to me. He fills my soul and gracious- 
ly helps me in my humble efforts to do His holy will. To-morrow, Sabbath, 
Brother Inskip preaches in the morning and Brother Boole in the afternoon. 
General meeting for night. God bless you, Annie, and my dear children. 
Love to the boys and all friends." 

To his wife : 

" Desplaines, August 15, 1870. 

"I. have the opportunity of sending a letter direct to Philadelphia by the 
hand of Brother Wallace. My last, I believe, was written on Saturday even- 
ing. That was a damp, cold day. All the services were in the tabernacle. 
Sabbath opened with a cool atmosphere but a cloudless sky. It devolved 
upon me to lead the five o'clock prayer-meeting in the morning. It was 
blessed indeed. At eight we had the love-feast, one of my very best. At half- 
past ten Brother Inskip preached well — unusually well. At half-past two 
P.M. Dr. Reed, editor of The Northwestern Christian Advocate, preached. 
At the close of the sermon believers were rallied, and a general charge made 
on the unconverted. The altar was crowded with penitents, and some thirty- 
five were converted in less than an hour. In the evening, as usual, Broth- 
er Alfred had to head the column. God helped me as much, perhaps, as 
ever in my life, and I trust great good was done. The whole ground seem- 
ed to be a great altar, sinners and unbelievers both down before God. We 
all think it was the best Sabbath of any of our National camp-meetings. 
Glory to the Lamb ! The weather is very cool. My shawl is a decided 
necessity. I begin to realize a sense of great weakness, and will have to be 
careful lest I contract the chills and fever. Willing to work, and obliged 
to remain till the last moment, still I will be glad to turn my face home- 
ward, and sit down again amid the quiet comforts of No. 813 West Street. 

" To-day there seems to be a little reaction from yesterday — nevertheless, 
the meetings have been very profitable. To-night God is present in great 
power. The great West answers to the East, and shouts, Holiness to the 
Lord. But I must close. The people are very kind — some of them think 



USEFULNESS AT DESPLAINES. 



38l 



they must have me in the Northwest. Give my love to the dear boys — let 
this take the form of a sweet kiss from their dear ma. The baby boy, of 
course, will not be forgotten. I received to-day your second letter. It was 
a hundred thousand times welcome. Take good care of yourself." 

To Mrs. Bishop Hamline : 

"Desplaines, August 19, 1870. 
" We have been wonderfully favored at Desplaines — the weather, the con- 
gregations, the presence of a large number of ministers, the sustained and 
increasing interest, the loving spirit of the people, and especially the pres- 
ence and power of the Divinity — all, all call for songs of loudest praise. 
Your prayers have been signally answered. This is beyond all question 
the best of our series of National camp-meetings. Your friends, of course, 
will supply all the details. My own soul has been wonderfully strengthened 
and helped. 

" God bless you abundantly, my precious sister. I have written this in 
the midst of camp-meeting duties and excitements. It is not a thousandth 
part of what is in my heart to say. Pray for me, and believe me your de- 
votedly attached son in the Gospel." 

Some estimate of Mr. Cookman's ministrations at this meet- 
ing may be formed from one or two facts communicated by 
John Emory Voak, M.D., of Bloomington, 111., who was present 
at the time : 

"While attending the meeting, having known Brother Cookman, I took 
particular pains to attend all his ministrations and every meeting that he 
led, and oh, how my soul fed and feasted on the bread of life as dispensed 
by him ! 

" I never shall forget his sermon on the theme, ' Entire sanctification.' 
Surely the Holy Spirit spoke through him to many hearts, and won them to 
Christ as a Saviour to the uttermost. 

" I wish I could describe one of the most glorious meetings I ever attend- 
ed, led by him. After answering the objection often urged against laboring 
for the promotion of holiness (instead of the conversion of sinners) most 
beautifully, he gave a sketch of his experience. He said that ' on these 
hands, these feet, these lips I have written, Sacred to Jesus.'' After his en- 
larging on that beautiful motto, I am sure many in that meeting of preach- 
ers saw entire sanctification as a more comprehensive and sacred work than 
they had been wont to view it, and that they were then set apart as never 
before. 



382 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



" One other incident which can not be described occurred at the last 
service of that meeting. The time had come when we must part ; all Chris- 
tian hearts were solemn — some were sad — at the thought of leaving that 
hallowed ground. The leader felt he could not close without giving one 
more opportunity for sinners to come to Jesus, and for Christians to plunge 
anew into the fountain. To the surprise of perhaps every one, nearly two 
hundred arose for prayers. That scene seemed to inspire Brother Cook- 
man, and he offered a prayer such as I never expect to hear equaled. The 
Holy Ghost made intercession in his soul with groanings that could not be 
uttered. He was in audience with Deity — aye, more, he had hold on God, 
and it literally raised him from his knees. I never heard such a fervent, 
effectual prayer, and it prevailed, as many will testify in the day of judg- 
ment." 

This communication, together with Mr. Cookman's own ac- 
count of the meeting, affords ample evidence that he never 
sought the entire sanctification of believers to the neglect of 
"calling sinners to repentance." 

Besides attending the National camp-meetings, Mr. Cook- 
man was present at the usual number of local camp-meetings 
through the summer, and performed at every one the same al- 
most superhuman work. He could allow himself no respite, 
but flew like a herald of light from place to place. Ennall's 
Springs, Talbot County, Brandywine Summit, Camden Union, 
Ocean Grove, and possibly others, shared his ministrations. 

He wrote from Ennall's Springs to Mrs. Cookman : 

" Ennall's, Monday, 1870. 

" Sabbath is over ; it was a bright, beautiful, blessed day — the atmosphere 
cool, pure, invigorating. We had good congregations. I preached both 
morning and evening, superintended the love-feast and two prayer-meetings, 
and at half-past ten went to bed pretty well worn out. This is vacation ! 
Our services have all been very profitable, the prayer-meeting last night 
and this morning especially. There are a good many hungry souls here, 
and I have great joy in inviting and leading them to the blessed provisions 
of the Gospel. There are many tender, loving inquiries respecting your 
welfare. You would have met a most affectionate welcome at the hands of 

these Dorchester County people. Annie T is rather sad, occasioned 

by the change in her circumstances and the absence of her dear husband. 



SUCCESS AT ENNALL'S SPRINGS AND MCNEILL'S WOODS. 383 



Their tent, however, is just as attractive in its social circles and its bounti- 
fully spread table as ever. 

" This afternoon we leave for Easton. Willie* seems to be very happy. 
The tables suit him. He has a wonderful weakness for the feathered crea- 
tion—wings, legs, breast, and side-bones quickly disappear before his vigorous 
assaults. Thus far he behaves himself beautifully— keeps his clothes clean, 
and acts like a little gentleman. I feel proud of him. My own soul is 
strong in the Lord. I feel that in leading up the Church I am doing God's 
will, and am wonderfully blessed. The blessed Spirit shines upon my mind 
and seems to give efficiency to my feeble words. Pray for me. I do not 
forget you. Your unwavering love has not failed to make the deepest im- 
pression on my heart. May God have you ever in His special care and 
keeping." 

To his wife : 

"McNeill's Woods. 
" On another battle-field ! Arrived here last night about eight o'clock, 
after a four hours' ride from Ennall's. Will enjoyed the journey, especially 
the driving. This is a delightful spot — a larger meeting decidedly than the 
one in Dorchester. Our reception was most enthusiastic. This morning I 
led the eight o'clock meeting. It was really one of the most precious and 
powerful services that I ever enjoyed. Brother Quigg, the presiding elder, 
preached this morning, and Brother John Field this afternoon. The meet- 
ings are increasing in interest, and presage victory. President Wilson and 
wife are here — arrived last evening. Will finds pleasant companions, and 
receives a great deal of attention. The friends here insist upon my staying 
until Friday morning. They think that the interests of souls and the Church 
are involved. I shall be better able to judge to-morrow." 



* The fourth son, William Wilberforce. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



GRACE CHURCH. — THE PENINSULA CONVENTION. 

The Wilmington Conference, at its last session (1870), had 
adopted the following resolution : 

"Resolved,* That a committee of eight — four ministers and four laymen 
— be appointed by this Conference to arrange for a Peninsula Methodist 
Convention, to consider and promote our denominational interests, said Con- 
vention to be held at such time and place as the committee may deem ad- 
visable." 

Mr. Cookman was appointed chairman of this committee. 
Indeed, " the conception of the Convention," in the language 
of one, " was his. He was the presiding genius as well as the 
moving spirit." At the call of the committee the Convention 
assembled at Smyrna, Delaware, on November 15, 1870, and 
continued for three days. " It was composed of the resident 
Bishop, Levi Scott, D.D., the superannuated, supernumerary, 
and traveling preachers of the Wilmington Annual Conference, 
with two lay delegates from each circuit and station within the 
limits of said Conference." Its object was "to consolidate, in- 
struct, and inspire one Methodism on the Peninsula." Mr. 
Cookman called the Convention to order, and the Hon. D. M. 
Bates, Chancellor of the State, was elected president, with eight 
vice-presidents. 

The topics discussed were : The Methodist Episcopal Church 
— its active and relative growth, and its present position on the 
Peninsula ; Education — its claims upon the Church ; Working 

* Proceedings of the Peninsula Convention of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, held at Smyrna, Delaware, November 15, 1870. S. W. Thomas, 
1018 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 



WHITEFIELD ON THE EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND. 385 

Forces of the Church — local ministry, women's work, young 
people's associations, etc. ; Relation of the Church to the Moral 
Questions of the Day — Bible, Christian Sabbath, and Temper- 
ance cause ; Family Religion ; The Sabbath-school ; and The 
Spiritual Life of the Church. These themes were severally 
treated in one or more written papers and by open discussion. 
The first topic elicited many valuable facts concerning the past 
and present status of Methodism in one of its chosen fields. 

The Rev. George A. Phoebus, in speaking of the Fallen He- 
roes of Peninsula Methodism, said, in regard to its early origin : 

" Whitefield, with a reputation in the New World that gathered thou- 
sands around him wherever and whenever he preached, we have every 
reason to believe, as early as 1756, perhaps earlier, had disseminated the 
doctrines of the Oxford ' Holy Club ' among the inhabitants of Bohemia 
Manor, and had sowed the seeds of the Gospel Kingdom in the hearts of the 
Bayards, and Bowchells, or perhaps Voschells. Here Wright, in 1771, found 
' in a certain house a room where he slept, prayed, and studied, that is still 
called Whitefield's room.' 

" When we look, therefore, upon the class that encouraged the early Wes- 
leyan Methodist itinerant as he went forth in the work of his Master, we 
must feel that it is due to the memory of the eloquent, fiery, commanding 
Whitefield, as the first hero that gathered a Methodist band on the Penin- 
sula, to lay at his feet the honor of having first enkindled in the hearts of 
our fathers the fires of that religious revolution that was awakening the fa- 
therland to true Christianity. He was to us ' the voice of one crying in the 
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.' 

" The interest awakened by Whitefield did not die out before the appear- 
ance of the Wesleyan missionary. The first Wesleyan Evangelists not only 
found the field white unto the harvest, but men and women ready to be em- 
ployed. The long interval that elapsed often between the appointments of 
the preachers, the range of their work, the transitory stay that they made in 
any place, were not calculated to give permanence to their instructions unless 
there were found some like those already mentioned who could lead the newly 
converted in the way of life. The incidents in proof of this are rare but valua- 
ble. In addition to those furnished, we give the following from the life of 
Benjamin Abbott. In 1 780 he was at his appointment at J. Hersey's. After 
the sermon, a dear old lady said to him, ' This is the Gospel trump ; I heard 
it sounded by Mr. Whitefield twenty-five years ago.' We have also, in the 

R 



3 86 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



recollection of Rev. Joseph Everett, of Queen Anne County, Maryland, a 
glimpse of the activity of the followers of Mr. Whitefield. As early as 1763, 
under the instructions of the school of Whitefield, he was convinced of sin, 
had joined their society, and in his chamber, on his knees, sought and ob- 
tained redemption in the blood of Christ, even the forgiveness of sins. Thus 
we see that in 1770, when the Gospel of the Kingdom was presented to the 
people by Mr. Wesley's preachers, there were to be found some who had 
knowledge of the way of salvation by faith. Thus it appears that while in 
England the controversy was raging between the Calvinistic and Arminian 
Methodists, the converts of Whitefield on this Peninsula were rising up to 
bear witness to the truth of the Wesleyan teachers on the fundamental doc- 
trines of justification by faith, the witness of the Spirit, and the sanctification 
of believers." 

Mr. Phoebus, after showing how Wesleyan Methodism was 
kindled from these sparks by Webb, Strawbridge, King, and 
others, referred to its organization by Asbury : 

"Here he (Asbury) met Dr. Coke in 1784, bearing the instructions of 
Wesley for organizing the societies into a systematic whole — here was as- 
sembled around him, eighty-six years ago to-day (November 14), within 
twenty-five miles of the place where the first Peninsula Convention of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church is holding its session, the preachers who in 
informal Convention gave birth to the Methodist Episcopal Church in these 
United States of America. Here, at Barratt's Chapel, at the same time, 
the Methodists in this country first partook of the Holy Sacrament, the 
ordinance being administered by their own regularly ordained preachers. 
Brethren, it was not the Peninsula, not time-honored Barratt's Chapel, not 
the preachers assembled in quarterly meeting, not Dr. Coke, vested with 
Episcopal authority, but that dear man of God, Francis Asbury, whose glory 
has streamed forth from the radiance of that hour, and mantles us, his spir- 
itual descendants." 

The Rev. J. B. Quigg presented statistical tables showing the 
gradual increase of the Methodist Episcopal Church through 
successive decades, from 1 charge, 1 preacher, and 150 mem- 
bers in 1774, to 89 charges, 114 preachers, and 24,734 members 
in 1870. Adding to the number of white members the number 
of colored members, for some time counted apart, the whole 
number of members in 1870 was 34,530, which gave to the 



GROWTH OF PENINSULA METHODISM. 



387 



Methodist Episcopal Church a ratio of 1 to every 8.6 of the 
total population (300,000) of the entire Peninsula. 

This Peninsula Mr. Asbury was accustomed to call his gar- 
den for Methodist preachers. It still retains much of its orig- 
inal Methodist simplicity. To no one in the Convention was 
this statistical exhibit more gratifying than to Mr. Cookman. 
On no field outside of his immediate parish work had he spent 
so much energy as on this ; and as he contemplated the status 
of the Church, its numerical, social, financial capabilities, his 
mind was impressed with a sense of the great importance of 
a rebaptism of all these forces by the Holy Spirit, for the 
" consolidation, instruction, and inspiration of Peninsula Meth- 
odism." 

It was therefore just to his taste that "The Spiritual Life of 
the Church" was assigned as his theme. I give the essay 
which he read entire, as containing some of his best thoughts 
on the relation of holiness to the Church : 

"THE SPIRITUAL LIFE OF THE CHURCH. 

" The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in which 
the pure Word of God is preached and the sacraments duly administered. 

" It stands above all other organizations ; the repository of the most val- 
uable truth ; a fountain of light and life and love, a blessing to the world. 

11 The spiritual life of this Church, that is, the life of God developing in the 
experience of its individual members, is its highest and best life — aye, and 
because of the important relations and the exalted position of the Church, 
it is the best life of the world ; the highest to which the race at large can 
possibly aspire. It links itself intimately and indissolubly with personal 
character, social order, family comfort, national prosperity, and our world's 
complete redemption. 

" Now, will it not occur to any observant mind that this spiritual life, like 
our natural life, may exist in various stages of development ? 

" In a hospital, for illustration, may we not find a patient paralyzed, una- 
ble to do any thing, and yet life nickering in its socket ? May we not find 
other invalids, feeble, complaining, scarcely able to stand up, not willing 
to communicate, knowing little of the joys of life, and yet not actually dy- 
ing ? It may be they have brought this upon themselves as the consequence 



3 88 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



of their own folly or neglect. There has been some temptation, compara- 
tively harmless to others, but injurious to them, and they have balanced the 
gratification it has afforded them against the fearful results that have devel- 
oped, and so they have carnally and culpably clung to the doubtful indul- 
gence until the effect is as we see. Ah, brethren, do we not know by obser- 
vation, and some of us by experience, that this is a sad picture of too many 
who profess to be the subjects of spiritual life ? Through neglect or failure 
or folly, or doubtful indulgence or partial obedience, their religious life is 
feeble and sickly — some trust, but more of distressing doubt ; some hope, 
but more of torturing fear ; some joy, but more of spiritual joylessness ; lit- 
tle appetite for divine things ; little disposition to exercise themselves in 
matters pertaining to godliness ; little interest in those means and measures 
that are intimately related to the salvation of the race and the glory of God. 

" Oh, how different from that spiritual life that hungers and thirsts after 
righteousness ; that runs in the way of obedience ; that works, and rejoices 
to work, in the vineyard ; that fights, aye, and endures hardness in the great 
battle with sin and Satan. 1 1 am come,' said Christ, 'that they might have 
life, and that they might have it more abundantly, ,' 

" Brethren, ought it not to be with us a matter of congratulation and 
thanksgiving that the home of our spiritual nature is in a Church that has 
always given so much attention to the development of the spiritual life ? 
For, observe, while some of the other denominations have arrayed them- 
selves around their citadels of doctrine, waging occasionally an offensive, 
but more frequently a defensive warfare, Methodism, adventuring into 
the field of the wide, wide world, has employed her time and talents and 
energies in the culture and dissemination of spiritual life. Meanwhile her 
fundamental doctrines have remained intact and unchanged, proving that 
orthodoxy is much better conserved by the cultivation of the spiritual life, 
than the spiritual life is promoted by an elaborate defense of orthodoxy. 
But, more than this, gaining constant accessions of this best life, growing 
stronger with the strength that the Divinity supplieth, our success, as a 
Christian denomination, has been almost without parallel or precedent 
From a small class organized in the city of New York, with Philip Embury 
as the leader, the Methodist societies have grown until within their folds 
they enroll, upon this continent, more than two millions of members, and 
directly influence some seven or eight millions of our American popula- 
tion. * * * 

" Nearly a century since, Thomas Coke, Francis Asbury, Benjamin Ab- 
bott, William Watters, Freeborn Garrettson, and others, whose names are 
as ointment poured forth, heralds of grace, filled with apostolic love and 



ORIGINAL SIMPLICITY OF PENINSULA METHODISM. 389 



zeal and power, visited our Peninsula, unfurling the blood-stained banner, 
and preaching a salvation, free, full, present, conscious, and glorious. Their 
word was in demonstration of the Spirit — opposition gave way — prejudice 
vanished — hearts were opened— spiritual life was accepted — and now for 
about a hundred years Methodism has had a home upon this Peninsula, 
much of the time the dominant religious denomination of the region. 

"As we overlook the field to-day, can we not find occasion for encourage- 
ment and rejoicing in the fact that the spiritual life of Methodism all through 
this section retains very much of its original simplicity ? We still hold fast 
and hold up the old distinctive doctrines of salvation for all through the 
mediation of Christ — justification by faith a personal necessity and a present 
privilege — the distinct and direct witness of the Holy Spirit with our spirit 
that we are children of God — entire sanctification, through the blood of 
Christ and by the power of the Holy Ghost, made available by an exercise 
of present trust in Jesus. We still retain, appreciate, and enjoy the class- 
meeting, the love-feast, the watch-night service, the quarterly-meeting, the 
camp-meeting, the protracted-meeting — means of grace that were originally 
the gift of God's providence, and which our fathers found to be so valuable 
and profitable. While in some other sections there is a disposition to lay 
aside or treat carelessly some of the old weapons, conforming to the spirit 
of an extravagant age and a fashionable world, Methodism on the Peninsula 
still satisfies herself with plain, free-seated churches ; still experiences and 
shouts the joy of God's salvation ; still goes in for earnestness of expression 
and of operations ; still agrees that the people of God while '///, must not 
be of the world,'' but must stand separate from and exalted above the world's 
littleness and vanities and falsities ; still clings to and would battle in de- 
fense of the old and well-tried landmarks. 

" But now, while we offer the language of congratulation and commenda- 
tion, let us, still continuing our observation, ask, Is the spiritual life of our 
Church, within the limits of the Wilmington Conference, up to the New 
Testament standard ? Let us ' examine ourselves.' Instead of offering God 
a perfect lave y do we not yield Him a partial affection, allowing other objects 
to dispute in our hearts the sovereignty of His most holy and excellent will ? 
Instead of brotherly kindness, is there not in our intercourse with fellow- 
Christians too frequently uncharitableness, backbiting, and even bitterness 
of spirit ? Instead of self-denial and cross-bearing, conditions of Christian 
discipleship, is there not an acknowledged avoidance of the cross, and an in- 
veterate disposition to self-pleasing ? Instead of a liberal spirit and system- 
atic beneficence, is there not an absence of settled principle that sometimes 
expresses itself in the language, ' 1 will give little or nothing, just as I 



39° 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



please ?' Instead of simplicity in our attire and in our styles of living, so 
that we may have more to give to Christ's blessed work, is there not an 
aping of the world's fashions and follies, a conformity that we know is prej- 
udicial to a deep and growing spirituality ? Instead of words seasoned with 
grace and tending to edification, are not too many of our words idle, gossipy, 
unkind, and unprofitable ? Instead of a burning and abiding zeal prompting 
to steady aggressions upon the kingdom of sin and hell, are we not fitful in 
our efforts, soon wearying in well-doing ? 

" These pointed inquiries suggest some of the delinquencies and short- 
comings of too many of our Church members, and constrain the conclusion 
that there is a higher spiritual life for the Church — a life whose exercise will 
reveal in personal consciousness to the believer, and present to the world 
around more beautiful and valuable fruit. Now the question arises, What 
is that higher and better life ? We have no hesitation in saying it is what 
in Methodist parlance we entitle ' Entire sanctification,' implying the specific, 
intelligent, complete, and everlasting consecration of all our regenerated 
powers to God — a consecration, of course, including the surrender of every 
doubtful indulgence, and the willing acceptance of any and every test of 
Christian obedience — and, in addition, implying the constant resting in 
Christ by faith as our full and perfect Saviour, trusting Him not only to save 
us, hit to keep us saved. Let the Church accept this privilege, so exceeding 
great and precious — let her perform this service, so reasonable and script- 
ural, and her spiritual life will be more divine, more practical, and more 
enduring. 

" 1. It will be more divine. Consecrating ourselves without any reserva- 
tion or limitations to the service of God, and concerned to accept of Christ 
in the fullest sense, we necessarily come nearer to God, and, in a broader 
and deeper and fuller sense, become partakers of the divine nature — par- 
takers of the divine wisdom — and purity — and gentleness — and patience — 
and loving kindness and power. But some one will ask, Is this different 
from the grace received at conversion ? We answer, No ! it is only more 
of that precious grace — as we sometimes hear, it is a ' deeper work of grace.' 
Christ comes in His spiritual presence to abide in our soul, and while we 
trust in Him, He assumes the entire responsibility of our complete salva- 
tion. Now, without wasting time on disputed theories or theological dis- 
tinctions, let us ask, Is not this the great need of the spiritual life of the 
Church ? — is not this a conscious and confessed want in our experience as 
professing Christians ? 

" We have life, but we do not have it abundantly. We love God, but 
we do not love Him with a perfect love — for a perfect love is necessarily 



MARKS OF THE HIGHER SPIRITUAL LIFE. 39 1 



dependent upon a perfect consecration ; just at the point that our consecra- 
tion is imperfect our love is imperfect, for it is then a divided, which is an 
imperfect love. We walk in the path of obedience, but we do not always 
stand up and go steadily forward in that path. We have peace with God 
as the result of our justification and adoption, but we can not testify to per- 
fect rest — the rest of perfect order, perfect activity, perfect security, perfect 
faith, perfect love, and perfect peace in the soul. The spiritual life of the 
Church needs, beyond all cavil or controversy, the elevation, invigoration, 
and inspiration that this grace of Christian holiness would give it. 

" 2. But again, the acceptance of our full Gospel privilege would make 
the spiritual life of the Church not only more pure and divine, but more 
■practical. 

" Need we say that one of the greatest desideratums of the Church, and 
one of the most peremptory demands of the world around, is a more practical 
piety. Men will judge of our religion, not so much by what it is, as by what 
it does. Xow you will be reminded that the higher Christian life for which 
we plead involves an entire consecration of ourselves to God, and this con- 
secration implies the use of all we have and are in harmony with the divine 
will, and for the promotion of the divine glory. It writes on our hands, our 
feet, our senses, our bodies, 1 All sacred to Jesus.' It uses our understand- 
ing, judgment, imagination, memory, conscience, will, and affections, all as 
belonging to Jesus. It holds the gifts of God's providence, such as time, 
health, energy, reputation, influence, home, kindred, friends, property, all as 
subordinate to the will of Jesus. It takes the entire man for Jesus. In his 
life it makes him temperate, gentle, careful, humble, earnest, honest, liberal, 
and loving. In his political relations it makes him as conscientious and 
pure as in the ordering of his private religious life. In his business it lifts 
him up from the mere drudgery of a respectable but debasing selfishness, 
and, filling him with Christian principles, and linking all his secular trans- 
actions with the divine service, it makes him a co-worker with God in the 
world's elevation and salvation. In his family it erects the altar of domestic 
worship — supplies the inspiration of a Christian example, diffuses around 
the atmosphere of love, welcomes the presence of Jesus, and thus consti- 
tutes the home as the house of God, and the very gate of Heaven. 

"3. One other suggestion is, that the spiritual life of the Church needs 
to be more enduring. 

" Confined at present too much to sacred places and special seasons, the 
tendency is to impulsive, spasmodic, irregular, and unreliable religious life. 
It glows in the summer amid the hallowed privileges of the consecrated 
forest It burns in the fall or winter when revival fires are blazing upon our 



392 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Church altars. It emits fitful gleams on the Sabbath-day, or in the class-room, 
or in the prayer-meeting, but a strong, round, full, regular, satisfying, stead- 
ily increasing religious life — a life that is as consistent at home as away from 
home ; as faithful in little things as in great matters ; as careful in a trans- 
action that the world will never hear of, as in one that shall be blazoned be- 
fore the Church and the world — ah'! this is the pure and abiding life that 
the Church needs and must have. Let Christ in his spiritual presence abide 
in the heart, the life of our life, the soul of our soul, bringing all our habits 
and practices into harmony with the divine will, and the spiritual life of 
the Church shall of necessity become more divine — more practical — more 
enduring. 

" Brothers, is not this our need ? Observe, we do not plead for changes 
or improvements in our ecclesiastical machinery — we hold that nearly all 
the main features of our working economy are the gifts of God's providence, 
and can not with advantage be substituted by different arrangements. Again, 
we do not argue for or insist upon a higher standard of piety. The standard 
as we conceive has been fixed by Christ himself, and is as old as the Apos- 
tolic age. Not able to elevate it, and not willing to lower it one iota, we 
simply say to those who are equally responsible and interested with ourselves, 
Let us measure up to it. Let us be a holy people. Holiness is power. What 
the Church needs, what the world around is looking and waiting for, is more 
of power. We must have it for the fulfillment of our high and holy mission, 
viz., the spiritual conquest of the world. Entire sanctification — says Dr. 
Abel Stevens, in his admirable history — was the great potential idea of early 
Methodism. It made our first preachers mighty, irresistible, a flame of fire. 
It made our fathers and mothers an aggressive power and an almost unparal- 
leled blessing in their day. It took hold upon the conscience and hearts of 
the unsaved in great communities. ' Wherever,' said Mr. Wesley, ' the work 
of sanctification revives, the work of God revives in its different branches.' 
' This,' he remarked, ' is the great depositum which God has given to the 
people called Methodists. Their mission is to spread scriptural holiness 
over these lands.' Observe, not that generic holiness which, promoting re- 
pentance, faith, justification, regeneration, and holy living, claims that it is 
spreading scriptural holiness. All the evangelical churches join with us to 
do this. Our special mission, as we understand, is to hold up entire sanc- 
tification as an experience to be obtained by faith, and, because by faith, to 
be obtained now. This, secured in a specific sense, becomes our best prepara- 
tion to spread it in both a specific and a generic sense. 

" Oh, brothers ! successors to Coke and Asbury and Abbott and Garrett- 
son, take up and carry forward the banner of holiness that they planted so 



CHRISTIAN UNITY ILLUSTRATED. 



393 



faithfully in this region. Methodist people of the Peninsula, who in the 
midst of fierce fires of opposition have demonstrated so undeniably your 
civil and ecclesiastical loyalty, clinging with a heroic devotion to your 
mother nation and your mother Church, covenant that this historic ground, 
already glorious, shall be made more glorious still. 

" Rekindle the old fkes, rekindle them in every county, in every town- 
ship, in every neighborhood, in every home, in every heart. Take the en- 
tire region for God. Bring its warm hearts, its growing wealth, its multi- 
plied comforts, its rich abundance, its acknowledged advantages, and lay all 
upon the Christian altar. Ask, believe, and wait for the promised baptism 
of the Holy Ghost, and, with an unprecedented endowment of spiritual life, 
the Church and territory within the limits of the Wilmington Conference shall 
vindicate the language of prophecy : ' Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in 
the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou 
shalt no more be termed Forsaken, neither shall thy land be termed Deso- 
late ; but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah ; for the 
Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.' " 

I quote from the published proceedings an account of the 
concluding service of the Convention : 

"The Communion service that followed formed a most beautiful, appro- 
priate, and profitable finale of these days of privilege. Ministers and mem- 
bers from all parts of the Wilmington Conference gathered around the same 
hallowed altar. The pastors of the Presbyterian and Protestant Episcopal 
Churches of Smyrna, with many of their communicants, participated in this 
service. It was an hour never to be forgotten. Surely, 

" ' Heaven came down our souls to greet, 
And glory crowned the mercy-seat.' " 

At the close of this memorable Communion, when the very- 
atmosphere around seemed sacred with the divine presence, 
Rev. Alfred Cookman, called upon, said : 

" Brethren, it is good for us to be here. As we look around and recog- 
nize these ministers and people of sister churches uniting with us in com- 
memorating the love of our common Lord, the sentiment instinctively leaps 
to our lips, ' Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell 
together in unity.' Over this scene I fancy I see stretching a rainbow com- 
posed of the different evangelical churches ; for while, like the colors of 
the natural rainbow, each Church retains its identity, yet at the same time 

R 2 



394 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



beautifully blending, sweetly harmonizing, we present altogether the ad- 
vancing sign, the infallible pledge of our world's triumphant redemption. 
During these hallowed moments I have been reminded of the broken alabas- 
ter box of which mention is made on the New Testament page. It has oc- 
curred to me that each of the denominations may be supposed to have their 
fragment still redolent with the fragrance of truth. When we come together 
on these delightful occasions, is it not to unite our fragments, and so recon- 
struct the box ? and oh, say, does not the great Head of the Church vouch- 
safe the unction of the Holy One ? does not the precious perfume arising 
fill the house, aye, and does it not promise to fill earth and heaven too with 
love and joy and praise ? 

"Brethren, it is the moment of parting. We shall never all meet again 
under similar circumstances. How blessed the truth that Christians never 
part for the last time. We separate, but it is as the angels do, going forth 
for the performance of the divine will, but with the assurance that our home 
is before the throne, and that 

" ' We shall meet again, 

Meet ne'er to sever ; 
Meet when love shall wreathe her chain 

Round us forever.' 

" Thank God, we belong to a sky-born, sky-guided, sky-returning race, 
and sweetly the peace march beats, ' Home, brothers, home !' 

Dr. Morsell, of the Protestant Episcopal Church, then stepped 
forward, and, all aglow with blessed feeling, said : 

" This is your feast in your own house ; and yet I have not been willing 
that you should have it all to yourselves. Oh ! how I have enjoyed the 
past three days ! We have felt the prayer of Jesus answered, ' that they 
may all be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may 
be one in Us.' And now, why are not the Christian world more completely 
one ? Is it not because of their want of love to Jesus ? I declare to-night 
my love for these brethren — a love that has its source in my love for the 
Saviour. While I have been feasting with you, I have looked around to 
recognize some of my own people here. I would that the whole Church to- 
night could feel as I feel. We have lived too much strangers to one an- 
other. This is wrong. It is the same many-mansioned house. I am only, 
so to speak, in another room of God's great house. Let us live and meet 
around the throne." 

The tide of feeling had now reached its highest point, and, 



CLOSE OF THE PENINSULA CONVENTION. 



395 



overflowing, the entire congregation sprang to their feet, when 
Mr. Cookman, grasping the hand of the Episcopal clergyman 
on his left and the hand of the Presbyterian pastor on his right, 
proposed that members of the Convention and all the Christian 
people present should clasp hands and join to sing — 

" Say, brothers, will you meet me 
On Canaan's happy shore ?" 

It was a beautiful scene. Tears were flowing, praises resound- 
ing all over the house, as, with thrilling tones, the large audi- 
ence pledged themselves, singing again and again — 

" By the grace of God we'll meet you 
Where parting is no more." 

A member of the Convention, the Rev. J. H. Lightbourn, in 
a letter, says, " Mr. Cookman's closing address, though im- 
promptu, was one of the most beautiful and thrilling to which 
I ever listened." 

A rare and pleasing incident, in the autumn of this year, in 
connection with the pastorate of Grace Church, was the cele- 
bration of the birthday of a centenarian, Mr. Joseph Lynam. 
I give a brief extract of an account which was published in The 
Methodist Home Journal, from the pen of Mr. Cookman : 

" Last week the hundredth birthday of Mr. Joseph Lynam was celebrated 
at the house of his son-in-law, Mr. Delaplaine McDaniel, near Wilmington. 

" The company, composed almost entirely of family connections, began to 
arrive about one o'clock P.M. It was beautiful and delightful to witness 
the mingling of four generations — great-grandchildren, grandchildren, chil- 
dren, and the venerable parent. Father Lynam was of course the centre of 
the group — all vying in thoughtful attentions and loving services. This in- 
teresting man, the eldest son of John and Ann Lynam, was born on the nth 
of October, 1770, nearly six years before the Declaration of American Inde- 
pendence." 

On the 24th of December, 1870, Mr. Abraham Bruner, the 
father of Mrs. Cookman, was struck with paralysis, after which 
he gradually failed, until he died on the 3d of March following, 



396 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAX. 



aged seventy-eight years. He had been a member of the Meth- 
odist Church since his fifteenth year, and in the town where 
he lived so long was universally esteemed for his religious and 
social worth, his business probity and success. In his last 
illness Mr. Cookman wrote him these tender and comforting 
words : 

" Your spiritual interests have been considered through a long succession 
of years, and He who has been with you tenderly declares, ' I will not cast 
you off in old age, neither will I forsake you when your strength faileth.' 
Commit your destiny entirely into the hands of your covenant-keeping Lord. 
Loosen your grasp on every thing but Jesus, and during the rest of your 
earthly sojourn He will give you to abide in the land of Beulah, where the 
birds sing, and the sun shines, and the flowers bloom, and every thing is bright 
and beautiful and blessed. Then, accompanied by the angels, you shall go 
over the river, and on the shining shore meet the loved ones who are gath- 
ering there, and, better than all besides, see the King in His beauty." 

The letter of Mr, Cookman to his friends, Mr. and Mrs. 
Thomas W. Price, of Philadelphia, consoling them in the death 
of a child, will be recalled. It now became his pleasant duty 
to congratulate them on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anni- 
versary of their marriage. He could rejoice with the happy 
and weep with the sorrowful. He addressed them in substance 
as follows : 

" Our dear Friends, — Allow us to offer our most affectionate congratu- 
lations. Twenty-five years of married life ! In memory a hand-breadth, 
a beautiful dream when one awaketh, but crowded full of deeply interesting 
incidents. During this period your children have been born ; of whom 
those living, like good wine, seem to be constantly improving with age, and 
the others, who have died, never to be forgotten, the glorified, are safely 
housed far beyond the reach of temptation, sorrow, and sin. 

" During these years there has been, oh, how much of toil and perplexity 
in business life, but relieved by the steady increase, the encouraging success 
with which Providence has favored you ! A majority of those who started 
out with you have been overwhelmed in failure, while your course has been 
prosperously onward. During these years you have shared the palmy days 
of old St. George's, and then Green Street, and now Spring Garden Street 



CHRISTIAN CONGRATULATION. 



397 



churches. The first named especially will furnish memories that constitute 
some of the brightest sunshine of the past. During these years you have 
been a sturdy warrior in some of the leading moral reforms, and have lived 
long enough to see the death of American Slavery, and to witness Lay Dele- 
gation putting its foot proudly upon the threshold of the inner sanctuary of 
American Methodism. 

" There is certainly great occasion for congratulation, rejoicing, and ten- 
der thankfulness as you retrospect the interesting fact, but especially should 
your hearts overflow with gratitude as you think of one another. 

" The Christmas season of 1845 gave my sister the present of a husband — 
honest, earnest, virtuous, industrious, faithful ; and if he has sometimes been 
impulsive and blunt, she has at the same time known that the hasty manner 
and strong style were his peculiarities, and were nothing when balanced against 
his other sterling virtues ; and then that same 26th of December gave my old 
friend a wife, that infinite wisdom and love arranged just for him — a special 
Providence — for I know that he would not exchange her gentleness, quiet- 
ness, prudence, neatness, and practicalness for all the attractions that the 
woman of literature, or of fashion, or of worldly styles could possibly have 
offered him. Now, own up, my truthful old friend, and say if, in arranging 
you a comfortable home, and watching over your cherished children, and 
diligently and ceaselessly studying your happiness during these twenty-five 
blessed years, she has not bankrupted you to such an extent that it would 
be impossible for you to pay the debt of love you owe ? But more than all 
else, your home during these years has been a Christian home, honored and 
sanctified by the presence of Jesus. Your family altar has not been per- 
mitted to fall down, but every day you have invoked upon yourselves and 
your dear children the blessing of Him whose blessing maketh rich and 
addeth no sorrow. Let this quarter of a century heap on the fuel ! Clam- 
ber up upon that Ebenezer you are building to-day, and as you look back 
through your tears of gratitude, marking all the way that a kind Providence 
has led you, sing, in your clear tenor tones — 

" ' When all Thy mercies, oh my God, 
My rising soul surveys, 
Transported with the bliss, I'm lost 
In wonder, love, and praise.' 

While upon the silver altar of your twenty-fifth anniversary you renew your 
vows to love, honor, and cherish one another so long as ye both shall live, 
at the same time turn your thoughts heavenward, and, influenced by the 
mercies of God, covenant not to be more devoted, but to be entirely de- 
voted to the service and glory of Jesus." 



393 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAX. 



To Mr. Robert P. Smith, editor of Showers of Blessing: 

" Wilmington, December 30, 1870. 
" I am just now in receipt of your note. How gloriously God is working ! 
These instances of which you write are literal miracles of grace. Eternal 

praise ! 

" I can hardly restrain myself this afternoon from hastening to the side of 

dear Mr. , not that I could help or serve him. but I could at least witness 

the grace of God in him, and be with him at the foot of the precious cross. 

" I have, however, a special engagement this evening, and to-morrow will 
be entirely filled with peremptory duties. Xext week is the week of prayer. 
We have arranged for special services every day, both afternoon and evening. 

u While, therefore, I could enjoy association with you in any services or 
under any circumstances, still I must regard home claims as primary, and 
deny myself 

" I was delighted to hear the experience of our brother, P. P . 

" That ' blessed evening ' at Ivy Lodge was certainly in God's order, and 
seems to be developing more than we had asked or even thought. If Brother 
P shall go over the world singing full salvation, it will be like the addi- 
tion of a sweet-voiced angel to our ranks. We had your precious sister at 
our Wednesday meeting, who encouraged us with blessed tidings concerning 
your 'saved father.' Wishing you the best blessings of the Highest, who 
giveth us Christmas, New -year's, and even* good and perfect gift, I am 
yours in the fellowship of the Spirit." 

The time drew nigh when Mr. Cookman's pastoral relations 
with Grace Church must be dissolved. He probably had never 
been more useful for a single term. With a magnificent church 
building, a large congregation of thoughtful, sympathizing per- 
sons, in a city small enough to be easily compassed, and yet 
large and active enough to afford variety, surrounded by a com- 
munity of generous hospitality, and assured by the most marked 
results of the usefulness of his ministry and his acceptability 
with the people generally, his days had glided along most de- 
lightfully. Xo great sorrow had entered his home or his im- 
mediate family, except the death of the aged Mr. Bruner, which 
was in the course of nature, and really the term at Grace seemed 
as a day in the lightness which love, joy, friendship, and success 
had imparted to every burden. He loved the people, and they 



IMPRESSIONS OF A CO-WORKER. 



399 



loved him. The services he rendered to the cause of vital 
religion and good morals will not soon be forgotten by the citi- 
zens of Wilmington. 

The Rev. George H. Smyth 'late pastor of the West Presbyte- 
rian Church, Wilmington, Delaware, has kindly furnished some 
of his impressions of Mr. Cookman while they were neighboring 
ministers in that city : 

" It was my privilege to labor in the city of Wilmington, Delaware, side 
by side with Brother Cookman for more than two years. The last year of 
his residence there we were often thrown together in devotional meetings, 
and met at social gatherings. 

"The same unbroken uniformity of a calm, genial temperament ever rested 
upon him. Truly he looked like one that possessed a peace the world can 
neither give nor take away. Nor was it an acquired, stoical indifference 
that made him insensible to surrounding influences, for he had a most sus- 
ceptible nature, that sympathized with every thing that was innocent around 
him. He always appeared solemn and dignified in his bearing, and at the 
same time easy and unaffected in his manners. 

" He had a keen sense of the ludicrous, and would laugh till he shook 
all over. I remember on one occasion we were in one of the Union prayer- 
meetings, held the first week of the new year, when an amusing incident 
occurred. * * * Mr. Cookman was seated on the platform, and, as a sup- 
pressed smile passed all over the meeting, I shall never forget the efforts he 
made to preserve his gravity, his hands over his face, and his whole body 
shaking with laughter. ' Oh,' said he afterward, ' I did want to get off the 
platform to some place where I could laugh !' 

"And yet, with all his pleasantry and readiness to contribute to the enjoy- 
ment of the social gathering, no man was freer from a spirit of levity or irrever- 
ence for sacred things than was Brother Cookman. He was a very spiritual- 
ly minded man, and seemed to breathe continually a devotional atmosphere. 

" In no place did he seem more at home than in a prayer-meeting. He 
was a fine singer, and in his selection of appropriate and beautiful hymns, 
sung with his rich, mellow voice, and in his earnest pleadings with God, he 
would diffuse the sweetest devotional spirit into all present, and often melt 
the congregation to tears. While the people were kneeling sometimes at 
the close of a prayer, he would start a hymn, which contained a petition just 
as suited to the occasion as if it had been written for it, and all would sing 
it through on their knees before God, and then one and another would burst 
forth with earnest prayer. 



4oo 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



" In this way, without calling on any one or urging any one to speak or 
pray, he would kindle the flame of devotion until no one could keep silent. 

"The Orthodox Friends — than whom no more godly people are to be 
found in that city — were many of them attracted to his church, and asso- 
ciated with him in Christian work. 

" Perhaps no man ever exerted a wider or better influence in that com- 
munity, in the same time, than did Alfred Cookman, and no man was more 
highly esteemed or more tenderly loved. And why should he not ? To 
very many his life and labors had proved, under God, an unspeakable 
blessing. 

" The moulding power of Brother Cookman's godly life over Grace Church 
just at a most important period of its early history will continue, I doubt 
not, to bless that Church to its latest day ; so it will many outside of that 
Church who were brought in contact with his great, catholic, Christ-like 
spirit. 

" For, while a decided Methodist, Brother Cookman was a man of large 
heart, expansive views, and a charity that cordially fellowshiped with all 
true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence he was ever ready for co- 
operation with any or all the other denominations in any movement for ad- 
vancing the cause of Christ in the community or in the world. I have heard 
it said by old men that never before had there been such a kind, fraternizing . 
spirit among all denominations of Christians as there was at that time in 
"Wilmington." 

The following tribute, in harmony with Mr. Smyth's state- 
ment, appeared just before Mr. Cookman's removal, in The Wil- 

m ington Commercial : 

" The Rev. Mr. Cookman closes the last three years of his ministry in this 
city on next Sabbath. They have been years of indefatigable labor, of great 
acceptability, and distinguished success. Being the first pastor in the great 
Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, the most beautiful church, we think, on 
this continent, it was his to settle its spiritual foundations, and give tone" 
and evangelical views to its worshipers, and start the Church on in deeds of 
great enterprise. He has borne up the ark of testimony by his own per- 
sonal piety, by his faithful and eloquent preaching, his labors in Sabbath- 
schools, in the temperance cause, missionary operations, and, in fact, in ev- 
ery good word and work among the sister churches and other denomina- 
tions. He truly possesses a union and fraternal spirit, and wherever he 
goes he has a hand and heart for every body. 

" It is with deep regret that his brethren of the Wilmington Conference 



PARTING WITH GRACE CHURCH. 



401 



part with him, and many of the laity will follow him with tearful eyes, and 
prayerful wishes that they may meet again on this side of the grave, and if 
not, that they may meet in heaven. The young, to whom he has been pecul- 
iarly useful, and who are sincerely attached to him, will be deeply affected. 
May good angels go with him." 

The parting interviews of the beloved pastor with his Church 
in all its departments — the general congregation, the Sunday- 
school, the social- meeting — were deeply affecting, but with 
none more so than with the chosen circle of persons who were 
in the habit of attending the Wednesday-afternoon meeting. 
Mr. W. S. Hillis, a minister of the Society of Friends, in opening 
the Wednesday-afternoon meeting at which Mr. Cookman was 
last present before leaving, felt impressed to select the account 
of St. Paul's last charge to the elders of the Church of Ephesus, 
Acts xx., 17, etc. ; and as he read the verses concluding, "And 
they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him ; 
sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they 
should see his face no more," he was overcome by his emotions. 
Mr. Cookman and the whole audience wept, and for some time 
the sorrow was so uncontrollable as to make it impossible to 
proceed with the services. Alas ! how prophetic the selection 
of those words ! 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



CENTRAL CHURCH. NEWARK, N. J. — OCEAN GROVE CAMP-GROUND. 
NATIONAL CAMP-MEETINGS AT ROUND LAKE AND URBANA. 

For months prior to March, 187 1, Mr. Cookman's mind had 
been agitated with the question of his next appointment. He 
had been invited to Boston, Mass., Chicago, 111., Cincinnati, 
Ohio, Washington, D. C, Philadelphia, Pa., and Newark, N. J., 
and pressed earnestly in all these cases to entertain the propo- 
sition for a transfer. He undoubtedly meant, when he returned 
to the Philadelphia Conference, to remain in it for life ; but the 
division of the Conference in 1868 had unexpectedly thrown 
him out of it into the Wilmington Conference, and now his Con- 
ference relations were again unsettled. So imperative seemed 
the demand for his services in certain important churches in 
the controlling centres of population and influence, that he 
finally yielded, though reluctantly, to higher convictions of duty 
— in regard to the freest interchange of ministers throughout the 
whole Church — and consented to be transferred to the Newark 
Conference, and was stationed at the Central Church, Market 
Street, Newark, N. J. This proved to be his last transfer and 
his last appointment in the Church. At the next roll-call, at 
the name of Alfred Cookman, instead of the round, full, silvery 
" here" there would be silence and tears. 

In view of the frequency of Mr. Cookman's transfers from 
one Conference to another, and of the class of churches which 
he generally served, a communication from Mr. John Thomp- 
son, of Philadelphia, will be found pertinent. A letter from 
himself to a lady friend reveals the same earnest desire that 
ever attended these changes, to know and follow the divine 



CONCERNING HIS NEXT PASTORATE. 



will. An incident also occurred before he left Grace, while his 
inind was yet undetermined as to the course he should take. 

There was a little prayer-meeting at which were present some 
of his closest friends. He prayed earnestly to be directed to 
go where God might will — to suffer or to die for Him • and re- 
quested his friends to make special prayer. The next morning 
they all said " Newark." 

From Mr. John-Thompson to Mrs. Annie E. Cookman : 

" Philadelphia, March 22, 1873. 

" Some time before you left Grace Church, Wilmington, Del., I wrote to 
Brother Cookman in reference to his future field of labor. You know that 
our intimacy was such that we freely opened our hearts to each other on all 
such subjects. I kept no copy of my letter, and do not recollect the precise 
wording, but the substance which I recollect distinctly was that for some 
time I had been strongly impressed with the conviction that his usefulness 
would be greatly increased if he were allowed the privilege of filling a dif- 
ferent class of appointments. I recollect I named such churches as Ken- 
sington, Tabernacle, and Ebenezer, of this city. I urged that while he had 
the ability to succeed in what are called first-class churches, such as he had 
been filling, that the proposed charges, with the same untiring effort, deep 
piety, and popular ability for which he was so remarkable, would yield a 
much more glorious harvest. I closed with the solicitation that he would 
give me his views and convictions in this connection. 

" The promptness of his reply indicated his deep interest in the subject. 
I regret that I did not preserve his letter. He said he was glad I proposed 
the inquiry. It was a subject that had caused him the most intense solici- 
tude. The great matter with him was to ascertain clearly what the Lord 
would have him do (on this point he was sometimes confused), but a clear 
conviction of the will of God settled all other questions in his mind. First- 
class churches were seemingly a necessity of the times. Somebody must 
be appointed to the pastoral charge. Without any seeking on his part some 
of them asked for his services, and it was the opinion of the bishops that 
this was his proper sphere of labor. He considered when he entered on 
the itinerant work of the ministry that he surrendered the question of the 
field of his labor to the godly judgment of the bishops, and if they should at 
any time change their judgment and appoint him to such fields of labor as 
I had suggested, it would give him great satisfaction. As far as he had any 
choice in the matter, he thought this would be his preference. 



404 LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 

" He claimed that it was generally understood that he preferred the free- 
seat system — that on this subject he had not sought to conceal his views, 
but that he did not feel called on to disturb the peace of the Church on this 
subject, as he had unbounded confidence in the piety of those who held op- 
posite views. He supposed that Newark, N. J., would be his next field of 
labor, but if it were not the will of God, he trusted that all arrangements in 
this direction would be defeated. I do not pretend to give Brother Cook- 
man's precise words, but I think I correctly give you his sentiments as ex- 
pressed in the letter referred to." 

To Mrs. Lewis, of Columbus, O. : 

" Wilmington, September 20, 1870. 

* * * " Last Friday I was disappointed in not dining with you and Ho- 
mer, but some brethren, waylaying me, marched me off to the Continental, 
and took nearly all my noon-time in pressing upon my attention the claims 
and attractions of their pastorate. I am sure I could enjoy it and be useful 
in that sphere, but what am I to do ? The calls begin to come in, and 
among the rest a very special one from Cincinnati. The mention of Ohio 
will make Homer's heart thrill. I love it for his sake, but have myself never 
felt any wonderful drawing to the West — dread the long journey for my 
large family, the laborious house-keeping in that smoky atmosphere, the 
separation from our mothers and life-long friends, etc., etc. Still I want to 
move in God's order, and this may be His order. Oh, for a voice from 
Heaven ! It is too bad for so many people to put their cares on your kind 
heart, but you know that, apart from kindred, you are one of my very dearest 
friends in the world. Homer will not upbraid me when I say that I love 
you — aye, and him, too, with a true, pure, and blessed love in the Lord 
Jesus Christ. For nearly twelve years your friendship has been as true as 
the needle to the pole, while the remembrance of your self-sacrificing serv- 
ices in times of trial fills my heart with unutterable gratitude to Almighty 
God for your sisterly affection. Will you not, then, let me ask that you 
will especially pray that I may be guided at this most important juncture ? 
God can overrule my mistakes. I know that, but I do not want to make 
any mistake. I desire to choose the right and the best way. 

" Give my best love to Homer. 

"Annie starts for Philadelphia to-morrow, taking the baby, of course. 
He is intensely sweet — a drop of Heaven 's honey laid on our hearts." 

The Central Church, Newark, gave a cordial welcome to their 
new pastor. He found a large and handsome church edifice, 



SETTLED AGAIN. PERFECT PEACE. 405 

well located, with a thrifty, active, and generous membership, 
disposed in every way to promote his comfort and usefulness. 
Within a few brief weeks he was ensconced with his family in 
their pleasant home, and he was as deeply immersed in the 
duties of the pastorate as if no change had taken place from 
one charge to another. The facility with which pastors go 
from Church to Church, and with which the churches accept 
one pastor after another, is inexplicable to persons outside of 
Methodism. The only explanation is, it is law and usage — 
ministers and people have become accustomed to the system, 
and, content with its workings, they accept it as a matter of 
course, and as the wisest arrangement for the whole Church. 
The prompt and cheerful acquiescence in the plan does not, 
however, preclude the sharp pangs caused by the severance of 
pastoral relations — many times the pastor's heart aches for the 
absent flock, and the people's hearts yearn for the recent pastor 
— but soon the new pastor and the new people become so taken 
up with each other as to prevent undue pain, while the strong 
attachments of former relationships are silently cherished as the 
pure and tender memories of a past which is ever present. 

To Mr. W. S. Hillis, of Wilmington, Delaware : 

"Newark, New Jersey, April 25, 1871. 

" You have not been an itinerant minister, and yet can form some idea of 
the duties claiming attention upon the threshold of a new pastorate. Home 
must be re-arranged, visits must be made, the new routine of service must 
be found out and entered upon, etc., etc. 

" Comfortably situated domestically, we begin to feel like living again. 
Our new charge has made a very generous provision for our comfort. 
Our home is commodious, centrally located, nicely furnished, and very com- 
fortable. 

" How is your Wednesday meeting prospering in Wilmington ? 

" Steady persistence just now will do much toward establishing our pre- 
cious friends in the truth and grace of God. How important and blessed it 
is to be ' established in the faith? David testifies, ' he hath established my go- 
ings? But we can not hope for this any where else than in the path of obe- 
dience. Oh ! to have that settled principle — that unswerving purpose — 



406 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



that steady faith — that unremitting love — that keeps our feet in the right 
way, and prepares us to go strongly and triumphantly forward. Persever- 
ing faithfulness during this year will obtain for the dear brothers and sisters, 
through Jesus, this establishing grace, and thus from young recruits they will 
grow to be veterans, who can be trusted in the great battle that is going on 
between sin and holiness. 

" My circumstances during the last few weeks have not been favorable to 
quiet, steady Christian growth — at least so the human would suggest — and 
yet, moving as I humbly believe in a providential path, I have not. been for- 
saken. In the life of faith I have been constantly associated with the Lord 
Jesus, and He has been overruling all for my spiritual advantage. When 
I left my Wilmington friends, whom I loved so tenderly, He gave me to re- 
alize that I might not quit for a moment His blessed side. When I was 
without a home, He sweetly reminded me of the permanent mansion that He 
is arranging for my enjoyment. When I had the trial of meeting and preach- 
ing to a strange people, he kindly whispered, ' Lo, I am with you alway,' and 
then vindicated His own encouraging truth. When I sat down in our pres- 
ent comfortable abode, I said, ' All this is of God.' I love the infinite Giver 
more for His unmerited and multiplied gifts — and thus my unsettlement, 
and then my settlement again, have both been pressed into the service, and 
redound to the advantage of my higher spiritual nature. 

" Was it not Martin Luther who said that ' God dwells in Salem rather 
than in Babylon.' Bless His holy name, He makes my heart ' Salem,' and 
then He himself abides in the midst of this sacred, quiet, and satisfying 
peace. His precious voice, still, small, and sweet, could not be heard amid 
the confusion of Babylon ; but, oh ! in this Salem of peace we listen, and 
hear Him inly speak. 

" Will you give my warmest love to all my dear Christian friends in Wil- 
mington. Tell them that my truant thoughts very often run away from 
Newark, and in imagination I see them in their social circles, or associated 
in their Wednesday afternoon or evening meeting. Cleansed from sin, let 
us go on concerned to be without wrinkle or any such thing. After the 
washing or purifying, there are other processes used by the Power or Spirit 
of God in smoothing and adorning and perfecting our characters. We want 
to be presented faultless before the throne of God with exceeding great 
joy. ^ ^ ^ 

" Let us all sit down together in heaven." 

It is evident from the closing sentences of this letter that Mr. 
Cookman's mind was, if possible, more than ever absorbed in 



SAINTLINESS. 



407 



the desire for personal holiness. He was increasingly intent 
upon one object— to be perfect in Christ Jesus. Those who 
were most intimately associated with him testify that there was 
a daily dying unto the world and living unto Christ, such as 
exceeded his former habit — his whole being appeared to be 
constantly enveloped in an atmosphere of devotion, of heavenly 
converse, of serene yet active love. He impressed all who came 
in contact with him that he was so far separated from the world, 
all its corruptions and even frailties, that no term could so ade- 
quately sum up the assemblage of his graces, or so fitly charac- 
terize him as — saintliness. The "spots" and "wrinkles" had 
so far faded from the beauteous face of his soul, that it was 
manifest the hidden force of the Spirit was evolving from its 
workings that effectual and final outgrowth which was to con- 
stitute completeness in the spiritual man. "Other processes" 
than this inward working of the Holy Ghost might be needed 
ere this completeness is reached, ere the divine Artificer puts 
the last touch of beauty on the sacred work which is to abide 
forever. His eyes are held, however, that he can not see 
what these processes may be — perhaps wisely. There was 
more work for him to do — the day still shone brightly — myriad 
voices called him to action — and, though admonished by casual 
bodily ailments, of sufferings heretofore never dreaded, because 
never even partially known, yet, in happy ignorance of the ter- 
rible ordeal which awaited him, he could only see the claims 
of the day, in which alone his work could be done. 

As in every previous charge, so at Central, Mr. Cookman be- 
gan very soon to see the effects of an earnest ministry in a 
quickened Church, an increasing congregation, and the general 
signs of the esteem of the people. There seemed to be every 
reasonable indication that in coming to Newark he was in the 
path of duty. A little incident occurred not many weeks after 
his entrance upon the pastorate which helped to confirm this 
conviction. A devout lady of the Church, about two years 



408 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



prior to his appointment, when greatly burdened on account of 
the coldness of the people of Central, exclaimed in her closet, 
" Oh, if the Lord would only send the Rev. Alfred Cookman to 
us !"• This prayer she felt constrained to make, believing as 
she did that he would be the best one to lead them up to a 
higher life. When he was sent she thought it was in answer to 
prayer, and so told her new pastor. His reply was, " It is very 
encouraging." 

As evidence of the deep interest he at once felt in the indi- 
viduals of the Church and the Christian work they were doing, 
either singly or as organized bands, the same lady has narrated 
the following : 

" I was present one afternoonrat the business-meeting of our ' Pastor's 
Aid Society.' As we all knelt down at the opening prayer, I said to myself, 
almost involuntarily, ' Oh, if he would only pray for me too.' As I turned 
around to watch his lips, I caught the words, ' Bless the dear young sister 
whose ears are closed to outward sounds.' It was heard and answered, as 
my soul then and there received conscious strength. 

" Did you ever hear that one afternoon, as Sister O and I were out 

visiting among our sick and poor, we realized so unusually the presence and 
smije of Jesus ? We both spoke of it, and praised our loving Heavenly Fa- 
ther. We afterward learned that on that same afternoon Brother Cook- 
man had called at Sister O.'s, and, on learning where we were, he knelt 
down and asked Jesus to be with and bless us. How clearly that prayer of 
faith was honored !" 

Far reaching as was Mr. Cookman's ministerial influence, by 
reason not only of his fame, but his actual pastoral and occa- 
sional services in the Church, he never became too great for 
the little duties of the parish. Outside engagements, however 
numerous and clamorous, were not allowed to press aside the 
work which was due his own people in their proper organiza- 
tion, visitation and instruction. Here at Newark, as elsewhere, 
the spring and early summer were devoted to regular pastoral 
calls, to the formation of such helps as would facilitate his own 
usefulness and develop the talents and graces of the mem- 



AN INDICATION OF IMMORTALITY. 



409 



bers of the Church and congregation. The mention of " The 
Pastor's Aid Society" affords evidence of his quickness to utilize 
the female element of the Church wherever he went. He be- 
lieved in woman's work for the Church and for humanity ; and 
as a minister was always successful in winning the affections 
and confidence of the ladies of the Church, and organizing 
them for high and beneficent ends. Ere midsummer the Cen- 
tral Church was alive with religious activity. The whole mem- 
bership had caught a spark from the heart of the living, work- 
ing pastor. 

Before following the devoted pastor upon his last great sum- 
mer tour of evangelistic labor, I give some letters which relate 
more especially to his Church. 

To Mrs. Stevens, of Wilmington, Delaware : 

"Newark, New Jersey, June 1, 1871. 

" What a good long letter you penned for our enjoyment ! We read and 
re-read it, appreciating and thankful for your allusions to all the little mat- 
ters that we are concerned to know. Thanks — a thousand thanks ! We 
sincerely hope that your dear friendship will arrange at an early day anoth- 
er entertainment of the same sort ; nor need you fear to oppress or cloy us 
with the variety and amount of the provisions. We have a wonderful ap- 
petite and an amazing capacity in this direction. Is not our unwillingness 
to be forgotten one of the indications of our immortality ? I will not, then, 
conclude that my pleasure in learning that my friends still hold me in affec- 
tionate remembrance was a proof of lingering selfishness, so developing de- 
pravity, but rather the expression of that nobler nature with which the Di- 
vinity has been pleased to invest me. 

" Tell Jennie I thank God for her loving appreciation, and the very beau- 
tiful but undeserved expression of that appreciation that you quote in your 
letter. For yourself and your dear children I shall always entertain a more 
than ordinary interest and affection. It was a common joy to welcome you 
one after the other to the fellowship of Christ's Church ; to see you sitting 
together a united and happy family at the Master's feet ; to observe your 
development in Christian character and life ; to share, as we so frequently 
have, the communications of infinite love and blessing. Truly, I have tasted 
your varied experiences, weeping with you when you have wept, rejoicing 
with you when you have rejoiced. 

s 



4io 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



" The past furnishes an easy explanation of our common sympathies and 
deep, warm, Christian love. It was inspiring to learn that, led by the Spirit, 
you are going on from strength to strength. This strength, as it is the in- 
working of the divine, is so blessed, for it prepares us to comprehend, with 
all saints, the height and depth, and length and breadth, and to know the 
love of God that passeth knowledge, that we may be filled with all the full- 
ness of God. You are a trusting child in the arms of the Infinite, and He 
proposes to carry you higher and higher forever and ever — new treasures 
of knowledge — new realizations of joy — new experiences of love — more and 
more and more of God as long as eternal ages roll. 

" Oh, how we should adore that grace that has made us willing in the day 
of His power ! We meet with so many that seem entirely blind and deaf 
and insensible respecting the possibilities of their spiritual being. They do 
not see, do not want to see — aye, it seems impossible to make them see 
the things that belong to their peace, and link themselves with their char- 
acter and destiny. Is it not an occasion of unutterable thankfulness that the 
great Healer has said to us Efihphatha, and our eyes are opened — we see 
Jesus ; and in and through Jesus a vista of privilege that invites and satis- 
fies, and opens in constantly increasing expectation forever and ever ? 

" You have learned through others that we are pleasantly situated in our 
new field of labor. Our church, a Gothic structure, is about twenty years 
old. The audience-room, beautifully proportioned, is perhaps a little dark. 
It has an organ-gallery and side galleries. The light in the evening is fur- 
nished by gas jets, that flame like a crown of glory around the capitals of 
the several pillars that support the galleries and ceiling. The effect is fine. 
Our congregations are good — not crowded. The church never has been 
popularized. The lower floor is generally well filled, and a fair sprinkling 
through the galleries. The friends here are delighted with the attendance 
— say it is double the number they have been accustomed to see. I preach 
to more people in Newark than I did in Wilmington. God has been very 
good to me in my pulpit ministrations. He has vouchsafed His own light 
and love and power, and I think I have never had greater or more continu- 
ous liberty in the proclamation of His truth. My people are very pleasant, 
greatly attached to their Church, united among themselves — no parties, no 
rivalries, no bickerings, very little if any of aristocratic feeling. As a mem- 
bership, they are not very spiritual. I am thankful, however, to report 
marked progress already. Our general prayer-meeting, held on Tuesday 
evening in the chapel, is largely attended, and richly enjoyed by all present. 
The singing is spirited and general, and you may be sure that the ' precious 
blood' is not left out. The prayers are growing in earnestness and faith, 



VISIT TO WILMINGTON. 



and again and again there has been the descent of the refreshing cloud of 
the divine presence and glory. There are a few earnest women who are 
walking clearly in the light of full salvation. For my inspiration they are 

more than all the rest of the membership. One of them, a Sister F , is 

a strong, wise, established, and useful disciple. She holds a meeting at her 
own home that has for many years been a fountain of blessing. We are 
lacking in the young element — not many young men. Perhaps, however, in 
answer to prayer, God will turn the hearts of this class toward our Church. 
If so, this great need .will be met. 

" Now they are calling me, and I must close my letter. It supplies a con- 
trast to your epistle, that was so full of news and deeply interesting. You 
will, however, accept it as the overflow of a fraternal heart. I have written 
very little of what I intended to write." 

To Mrs. Lewis, of Ohio : 

" Newark, New Jersey, July 3, 1871. 

" Excuse my lead-pencil. For a week past I have been suffering from a 
torpid liver, and, spending a good part of my time in a recumbent position, 
can use my pencil much more conveniently than my pen. 

" We received with special thankfulness and joy your most welcome let- 
ter. We read it over and over, magnifying that grace which the Heavenly 
Father causes to abound toward you. Truly you are one of His dear chil- 
dren, to whom He makes special revelations of His truth and His love. 

" Week before last Annie and I visited Wilmington. We remained two 
days, Wednesday and Thursday, enjoying the society of our friends, and at- 
tending the commencement exercises of the Female College. 

" Our former parishioners, and indeed all we met, were affectionate be- 
yond description. 

" On Wednesday afternoon we were associated with the H.'s, H.'s, M.'s, 
etc., in the meeting for the promotion of holiness. It was an occasion of 
great interest and blessing. The service is held now in St. Paul's Method- 
ist Church, and led by its pastor, a gentle and good man. I am sorry to 
report that the attendance is not as good as formerly, but the little band are 
holding on and growing up into Christ. We met this precious circle socially 
again and again, and realized that we were antedating one of the blessed en- 
joyments of Heaven. You were alluded to by one and another most affec- 
tionately. For nearly two months our friend, William G , had been ab- 
sent in the West, which is probably the reason why you did not see more of 
them previous to your departure from Philadelphia. 

" As I passed through Philadelphia on Friday, I seized the opportunity 



412 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



to be present at the Friday-afternoon meeting, held that day in the Fifth 
Street Church. The body of the house was filled ; there must have been 
four hundred or five hundred persons present. Brothers Thomson, Gray, 
Masden, Meredith, Pepper, Lawrence, Stockton, etc., were in their places. 
There was not very much speaking, as friends were invited to the altar — but 
it was a meeting of blessed impression and wonderful influence. 

"The friends are beginning to turn their faces toward Round Lake. On 

Friday Mr. and Mrs. E. M , and Mrs. William G , Miss N , etc., 

passed through here en route. Mrs. Cookman thinks that she can not 
leave her baby for so long a time — but, Providence permitting, she will 
follow us, and spend two or three days on the ground. I am scarcely in 
condition to leave home, but am hoping that the change of air, with the use 
of Saratoga, may tone up my enfeebled energies. 

" Your baby boy is one of the sweetest objects outside of Heaven. We 
constantly fear we love him too much. This time last year you were the 
good Samaritan of our domestic life. Your loving services will feed the 
flame of our thankfulness through life, and have endeared you to our hearts 
as a specially beloved sister. May God continue to bless you, and make 
you in the West, as in the East, an immense blessing to others. As I think 
of yourself and Homer, I feel as if I would like to bring you nearer, and live 
in your society forever ; but, thank God, this is our hope. Probationary life 
is only a brief episode and will soon be over ; then we shall sit down to- 
gether in the everlasting home. Excuse haste — tender love to your dear 
husband. Write whenever you can." 

Reference has been already seen in Mr. Cookman's corre- 
spondence to Ocean Grove camp-ground. He had become so 
charmed with the spot as to buy a lot there, building a cottage 
upon it for the accommodation of his family. He was particu- 
larly fond of the sea-side. As with his father, so with him, the 
ocean possessed a great attraction — he could sit by the hour 
and look out upon its restless life, and commune with its never- 
ceasing music. His highest physical spirits were excited when 
he was laved by its waves or walked amid its breezes. A plunge 
in " old salt," a stroll by the sea-shore, was enough almost any 
season to dissipate the ennui of overtasked nerves, or the weari- 
ness induced by the exhausting heats of the crowded city. He 
was only too glad to avail himself of the capital opportunity 



THE CAMP-MEETING AS A SUMMER RESORT. 



413 



which the Ocean Grove Association afforded of uniting a sum- 
mer residence with the facilities of religious culture upon the 
sea-side, under conditions which would be free from the objec- 
tions of ordinary fashionable watering-places. The modern in- 
novation of combining the social element of the family life and 
the devotional element of religious worship in the camp-meet- 
ing was pleasing to him, as meeting not only his own want, but 
also a want which he believed to be quite generally felt among 
Christian people. Some such resorts had long been needed, 
where healthful air and innocent pastimes could be had, with 
cheapness, plainness, and sobriety, associated with such relig- 
ious exercises as tend to keep alive the pious habits and senti- 
ments of the home left behind; where the moral feelings of 
those who prefer the stricter virtues will not be constantly 
shocked with customs which are a violence to good taste, to 
say nothing of sound morality and vital religion ; and where 
people can be practically taught the union which should always 
subsist between social and spiritual enjoyments. 

The first notable example of this peculiar feature of the camp- 
meeting was set by the company owning the Wesleyan Grove 
Camp -ground, on Martha's Vineyard Island, Massachusetts. 
From rude beginnings the Martha's Vineyard Camp -meeting 
has grown until it has become a vast watering-place, with ad- 
ditional grounds adjoining under different companies. Whole 
villages of cottages have been erected, many of them at much 
cost, with all the devices which necessity and taste can suggest. 
It is not an uncommon thing for families from remote parts of 
the country, and of all the different religious denominations, to 
go thither early in the warm season, and to remain till autumn. 
The success of Martha's Vineyard has caused similar efforts in 
various sections, both on the sea-coast and inland, within the 
past few years. Prominent among them is Ocean Grove, New 
Jersey. Mr. Cookman was greatly pleased with its success ; he 
prized highly the moments he was able to spend there in the 



414 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



summer of 187 1, and those persons who had the happiness to 
be with him through those brief days will long cherish the 
memory of his personal and ministerial influence as among the 
most pleasant of their lives. 

The first trumpet of the summer's campaign summoned Mr. 
Cookman to the sixth National camp-meeting at Round Lake. 
Thither the hosts of the higher life were moving; the prospect 
was for an immense meeting, and the responsibility of the Na- 
tional Committee was correspondingly great; it was felt that 
none of the active members could be spared, least of all the 
man whose modest presence, wise counsels, persuasive speech, 
and holy character constituted him to the cause a tower of 
strength. He was not well ; to his rather enfeebled body and 
worn mind it would have been delicious to go at once to the 
sea-side — but no ; among the promptest to start for and reach 
Round Lake was Mr. Cookman. Though young in years he 
was a veteran in service, and as the war-horse snuffeth the battle 
afar, and in the first noise of the tumult forgets his stiffened 
joints, so this our hero of a hundred victories, with the first step 
upon the field of contest, with the first notes of God's Israel 
preparing for the charge, forgot all his wounds and weariness, 
and from beginning to end was in the thickest of the fight, him- 
self farthest on to the front, where the battle raged the fiercest 
— here, there, every where — personally contending, and by his 
voice and example cheering on the soldiers of the cross. When 
the conflict had closed, the smoke had rolled away, the field 
was won, and the day pronounced glorious in the annals of 
holiness, no heart was more serenely happy than Mr. Cook- 
man's. His wounds, however, were seen to bleed afresh. His 
natural force had abated — the elastic spring, the gay, buoyant 
carriage was perceptibly broken, and the beginning of the end 
was at hand. But other battles were still to be fought, and 
further victories to be won. 



SIXTH NATIONAL CAMP-MEETING. 



415 



Some account of the Round Lake meeting, and Mr. Cook- 
man's connection with it, is appropriate : 

" This meeting opened in the beautiful grove of Round Lake, in Saratoga 
County, New York, on the morning of the glorious Fourth. The National 
Camp-meeting Committee, in full attendance, at once set about the usual 
services of the occasion, a congregation of several thousands having already 
arrived. After the experience of the former gathering in this place, two 
years ago, the committee had provided still more abundantly for the large 
demands probably to'be made upon them. But they soon found that their 
largest provisions were too small to meet the increased numbers that came 
up. Over a hundred ministers were on the ground on the day of opening, 
and every additional train of cars brings new arrivals. 

" It is observable that, while the meeting is held to the one idea of holi- 
ness, that idea is not narrowed down to a technicality, but is made as broad 
as God's promises, and as extensive as every sinner's need. So the awak- 
ening and conversion of sinners is sought and witnessed simultaneously with 
all the work of grace. 

"Among the most efficient means of grace observed is silent prayer. The 
effect of the awful stillness which sometimes prevails, when these seasons 
are called for in the midst of an exciting meeting, can hardly be imagined. 
The value of these soul-hushings is observable in the calm, still sense of 
power which succeeds them. 

" There is great catholicity of feeling prevailing — Baptist and Methodist, 
Quaker and Episcopalian, Congregationalist and Presbyterian, sitting to- 
gether ' in heavenly places in Christ Jesus,' without any friction of sectari- 
anism. 

" The Sabbath has passed — and such a Sabbath ! Earthly history can 
not often repeat such clays. Its dawn was beautiful, but ushered in with 
gentle rain, which, however, only freshened the scene, and by no means 
dampened the ardor of the worshipers. 

" The morning prayer-meeting, at five o'clock, was crowded to overflow- 
ing from the commencement, and for two hours the vast multitude maintain- 
ed an unceasing strain of worship. 

" The attendance on this day largely outnumbered that at the great meet- 
ing in this place two years ago ; and although by five o'clock in the morning 
the vehicles came in from every direction, and by nine o'clock covered many 
acres of ground, there was no more confusion and disorder than on an ordi- 
nary Sabbath at home. The love-feast in the big tent was one of those sea- 
sons to be witnessed only occasionally, even in camp-meetings. During the 



4-i6 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



time of the meeting, nearly four hundred persons rose on their feet and tes- 
tified tersely, but clearly, to the grace of God in them — many of them cases 
of recent renewals, and many more of recent conversion. The sermons of 
the day were in harmony with the one idea of ' holiness,' but had little of the 
technicality and dogmatic separateness which has sometimes been charged 
upon these good brethren. The style of preaching throughout has been 
purely expository and eminently practical. Rev. J. S. Inskip occupied the 
pulpit in the tent in the morning, while at the stand, in spite of the rain, a 
mass-meeting for prayer and praise was improvised. At the same hour, va- 
rious services were conducted in the tents. 

" Rev. Alfred Cookman preached in the afternoon to one of the largest 
and most attentive audiences that a camp-meeting ever saw. 

" But to speak of preaching gives but little idea of the great work -of sal- 
vation which spread like a sheet of flame through all the ground. In the 
tents, at the street corners, by the wayside, every where, the great work of 
personal labor for the conversion of sinners and the sanctification of believ- 
ers went on. It seemed a verification of the promise, ' It shall come to pass 
in the last days, saith the Lord, I will pour out my Spirit upon your sons 
and upon your daughters, and they shall prophesy,' etc., might be met every 
where. 

" There a lady steps out of the door of her tent, and enchains the passers- 
by with the story of the cross ; a moment later, and precious souls are 
bowing near her, and asking her to pray for them. In that tent are a 
group of ladies, whose song and fervent speech bring the prayerless and 
careless to the feet of Jesus ; while for hours, at the fountain in the princi- 
pal square, an improvised 'altar' is crowded with 'seeking souls.' The 
meeting is led chiefly by the zealous missionary of the Water Street move- 
ment and Pastor Hedstrom. Suffice it to say that God's great work of soul- 
saving is mightily displayed ; and whatever 4 one idea ' may be meant, it has 
grown into a most comprehensive idea of becoming all things to all men, 
that men may be saved." 

The special correspondent of T^he Troy Daily Times, in a let- 
ter of July 8th, claimed there were 10,000 people on the ground 
on the Sabbath. Describing Mr. Cookman's sermon, he wrote : 

"At two P.M. Rev. A. Cookman, of the Newark Conference, preached 
from Philippians, third chapter, fourteenth verse — ' I press toward the mark 
of the prize of my high calling.' The speaker claimed that St. Paul was a 
man of one idea, but that idea was complete in itself. If he made tents, that 
was but a part Of his religion. His preaching was tributary to his idea of 



THE SUPREME CENTRE OF BLISS. 



417 



holy living. He defined the mark of the prize as the Bible standard of 
Christian excellence, and spoke of the evil of a wrong standard. He spoke 
beautifully of the prize itself in the final glorification of soul and body in the 
likeness of Christ. It is hard to do justice to the discourse, which, with the 
happy manner of its delivery, made a deep impression." 

A person who was present at the love-feast referred to, noted 
at the time the experience of Mr. Cookman on the occasion. 
It was in substance as follows : 

" When you were singing of the cross a few minutes since, I thought that 
I had drawn a circle around the cross, and * * * Jesus has lifted me up 
from the foot of the cross, and has given me a home in His heart. I am 
dwelling in the supreme centre of bliss." 

At the close of the meeting, in company with his sister, Miss 
Mary Cookman, and a few friends, he visited Saratoga Springs. 
Although extremely exhausted from the labors of the meeting, 
and feeling almost disabled, yet nothing could exceed his cheer- 
fulness on that day. His spirits bubbled like the perpetual 
health-giving springs, the waters of which they drank. His 
companions had never known him more playful — he seemed 
literally carried away with the delights of nature and the loving 
companionship of the hour. " With a home in the heart of 
Jesus, dwelling in the supreme centre of bliss," happiness, nat- 
ural and spiritual, was to him but the spontaneous effusion of 
the soul, what the bird's song is to the bird. 

Immediately upon his return from Round Lake he took his 
family to Ocean Grove. It was evident to all that his health 
was much impaired, but it was hoped that the invigorating sea 
air and sea bathing, with the quiet of the place, would soon re- 
store him to his usual strength. In all likelihood this would 
have been the effect, had he remained during the season thus 
in repose, desisting from the extreme labors and excitements 
of successive camp-meetings. It was expected by his friends 
that he would do so — some of them urged its necessity upon 
him — but, despite all remonstrances, the earnest persuasions of 

S 2 



4i8 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



his wife and kindred, he could not be constrained to rest. The 
fact is, he did not know how to rest ; it was a lesson he had 
never needed to learn hitherto, and now it was exceedingly dif- 
ficult for him to begin it. For ardent, healthful natures, accus- 
tomed to action, nothing is harder than enforced passivity — the 
quiescence which is obliged by incapacity or indispensable to 
recuperation. The mind, like any material body when under 
strong headway, can not be suddenly stopped in its course with- 
out a violent interruption of the laws of its being. The mind, 
no more than the material body, will stop of itself. At least it 
is not natural for it to do so; and, if stopped, it is only in- obe- 
dience to outside force. If Mr. Cookman had foreseen the prob- 
able consequences of unintermitted work through the summer, 
it is doubtful if he would have persisted in his purpose — as he 
had never had cause before to take care of himself, he could 
not now feel the necessity of it, nor fully appreciate the fears of 
his friends. The habit of " campaigning " was strong upon him. 
The second National camp-meeting for the season had begun 
at Urbana, Ohio ; the brethren of the committee were there, 
and how could he stay away in ease, while they were at work 
and needed him ? " Oh, Alfred !" said his wife, in tears — and 
she knew better than any one else how sick he really was — 
"you will not go to Urbana?" "My dear," he replied, "it is 
God's will." When he arrived at Urbana, the members of the 
committee were surprised but extremely gratified to see him. 
Their feelings are well expressed in an extract from a letter of 
the Rev. L. R. Dunn, of the Newark Conference : 

" At our last meeting on the Round Lake camp-ground he was ill, really- 
unable to do any work ; and yet such was his burning zeal for Christ that 
he could not keep still, but preached, prayed, and labored very far beyond 
the limit which prudence would have prescribed. Our next engagement 
was at Urbana, and none of our committee imagined that he would venture 
to go there. But greatly to our pleasure and our surprise he came on quite 
early in the meeting, and preached twice during its continuance, "with a pa- 



NATIONAL CAMP-MEETING AT URBANA. 



419 



thos and power which I imagine he had never exhibited before. Thousands 
of deathless spirits will never have the impressions produced by those ser- 
mons effaced." 

The correspondent of The Methodist, writing from Urbana, 
says : 

" This meeting commenced on Tuesday, August 1st, in a beautiful grove 
about two miles from Urbana, Ohio, under the direction of the National 
Camp-meeting Association. * * * 

" The venerable Bishop Morris is present, and receives many attentions, 
unobtrusive and delicate, from all classes. The Bishop attends all the serv- 
ices, even those held by Mrs. Inskip for the benefit of the children, quite a 
number of whom have professed conversion. It is really affecting to see 
this patriarch and honored bishop in the Church sitting in company with the 
lambs of the flock, and to hear his voice mingling with theirs in Sunday- 
school hymns and choruses. 

" Besides the regular Sunday services, which were held in the quadrangle, 
and at which the congregations were immense, it was found necessary to 
have preaching at the tabernacle both morning and afternoon. 

" The Sunday-morning National love-feast was conducted by Alfred Cook- 
man, and was a season of tremendous power. In the ccurse of two hours 
four hundred and fifty persons spoke. To the roll-call of the states, re- 
sponses were made from Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, 
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, 
Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Michigan, California, 
Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Tennessee. 
This may well be called a ' National ' camp-meeting. To the call of de- 
nominations, answers were given by representatives of the Baptist, Presby- 
terian, Quaker, African Zion, and other churches. 

" At the close of every service those who desire to enter into full salva- 
tion are urged and entreated to come to the fountain of cleansing. The 
most genial feeling prevails all over the ground, and the members of the 
committee are as social and brotherly toward all their fellow-ministers as 
their arduous duties will permit them to be. There is no ' exclusiveness ' 
whatever — no standing apart with them ; all the while rather a desire to 
have their brethren ' come in and share the feast.' This remark may be 
the more valuable to many, because the writer of this paper is known to 
be identified with the brethren no further nor more intimately than in the 
common belief of the Wesleyan doctrine, and in a common Methodist 
brotherhood." 



420 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Mr. Cookman's impressions were given in two letters to his 
wife — the last he ever wrote her. 
To his wife : 

" Urbana Camp-ground, Friday afternoon, 1871. 
" I hasten to redeem my promise, and acquaint you with our safe arrival 
at our destination. We left Philadelphia yesterday in the 12.40 train, and 
without accident or detention proceeded on our journey. It was a consid- 
erable tax ; but the Lord strengthened me, for He knew that my motive to 
do His will was very pure. I rested rather than slept in my berth ; enjoyed 
my supper at Altoona and my breakfast at Columbus. Arriving here, 
a most cordial welcome awaited me. The K.'s, H.'s, etc., are delighted 
to see their Methodist preacher cousin. A number are here from Phila- 
delphia. The committee are rather feeble-handed. Wells has gone home. 
Inskip is better, but is obliged to use great care ; he really needs rest. Gray 
is on the sick-list, so that it is well that I came with my superabundance of 
physical power to sicpply deficiencies. The weather here has been very show- 
ery, interrupting the services in the open air. Gray, Wells, Dunn, and Gil- 
lett have preached. * There is a great deal of indifference, not to say antag- 
onism, in the minds of many of the preachers and people. The meeting is 
not as large as many thought it would be — something less than three hun- 
dred tents. Our trust, however, is in the Lord who made heaven and earth, 
and we feel confident of victory. I am meeting friends on every side, who 
express great pleasure in seeing me under these circumstances. I am not 
any worse for my long travel ; feel a little oppressed with the heat. Re- 
becca and her friend are nicely situated in a snug little tent, and will take 
good care of me. Be careful of yourselves. Make that cottage before I re- 
turn ' a thing of beauty and a joy forever.' Let me hear from you very often. 
Kisses for my dear children ; love for my many friends." 

To his wife : 

"Urbana Camp-ground, Saturday afternoon, August, 1871. 
" Our meeting progresses with constantly developing interest. Every 
service is a signal success, and it looks now like a sweeping victory. This 
afternoon I preached to a large and most attentive congregation _from the 
text, ' Be ye holy.' God graciously strengthened and helped me, and my 
friends say I never had a better time. Since the sermon I am a little pros- 
trated, and my legs stiffen up ; but I am getting along gloriously. Sincerely, 
I have not been as well for five weeks. Last night I slept on a lounge in 
uncle John K.'s cottage, and put in a night of refreshing sleep. Our Ohio 
relatives are as kind as they can be. Rebecca watches over and provides 



PERSONAL INFLUENCE AT URBANA. 



421 



for me with the attention and love of a dear sister. The table at which we 
board is luxurious — never knew any thing at camp-meeting to approach it 
in excellence — tastefully spread, admirably served, and then such a variety 
of food. To-day for dinner, roast chicken, chicken pot-pie, beef, lamb, ham, 
every kind of vegetables, corn, tomatoes, cabbage, beans, etc., etc., and then 
very nice pie and watermelon for dessert. 

" To-morrow will be the Sabbath. I conduct the love-feast in the morn- 
ing, Brother Inskip at ten, McDonald in the afternoon, and Dunn at night. 
There will probably be twenty thousand people on the ground. My own 
soul is being enriched. I want to bring home a double portion of the 
Spirit, and so be furnished for a blessed and successful campaign this au- 
tumn. There has been a good deal of rain here during the last few days. 
This tempers the atmosphere and keeps down the dust. And now I must 
close my note. The forces are gathering for a night battle. Oh, for salva- 
tion in floods ! I will not probably get back home before Saturday night. 
And now good-bye. The Lord bless and watch over you. Kisses for my 
children, love for my friends, and believe me your devoted husband." 

The indifference and antagonism in the minds of many of 
the preachers, if it existed, fast disappeared. Long before the 
meeting concluded it had been dissipated as mists before the 
sun. No man's influence contributed more to this than that 
of Alfred Cookman. While his associates in the committee 
and in labor won good opinions on all sides, there seemed a 
hallowed power about him which drew like a magnet all hearts 
to him. Not only his sermons, but his most casual utterances 
were listened to as from an oracle. He could have no time to 
himself. His instructions were privately sought by the intel- 
lectual and the wealthy as well as by the untutored and poor; 
indeed, with many his very presence was coveted as imparting 
a sanctity — his least look of recognition was regarded a bene- 
diction. The whole influence of the man was the expressed 
sweetness of a nature which had long since been thoroughly 
imbued with divine unction. The wisest counsels, the most 
apt illustrations, the most sympathetic expressions, explaining 
the way of holiness to the inquiring mind, or infusing courage 
into those who were timid, fell from his lips as honey-dew from 



422 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



the leaves of the trees. As the people, both ministers and lay- 
men, gathered about him, eager to catch every word, and won- 
dered at the strange wisdom and unwonted spell of his talk, 
they little thought that he was talking not only from his heart, 
but was talking away his heart. The last and best of Alfred 
Cookman was condensing itself into sentences to live and grow 
in men's minds forever. 

A prominent minister tells us : "I afterward recalled with 
great tenderness the conversations I had with Rev. Alfred 
Cookman, and the precious soul-rest I realized when I vent- 
ured my all on the solid rock of eternal truth. The idea that 
I was saved, not for years or months or days to come, but this 
moment and the next, by trusting in and looking to Jesus, re- 
lieved my mind from a load of apprehension about the future." 
On the last evening of the meeting, as very many of the hun- 
dreds on the ground were marching around the inclosure led 
by some of the National Committee, a lady, who was prejudiced 
against the custom, said she must join them, if it was but 
to shake Mr. Cookman by the hand once more, and bid him 
good-bye. 

I quote again from the correspondence of The Methodist to 
show how completely the indifference and antagonism of the 
ministers gave way : 

"It is impossible to tell how many have entered into 'the rest of faith.' 
On one occasion I counted forty persons at the altar during the morning 
(eight o'clock) meeting. This was soon after the invitation was given. Not 
less than as many more were down before the meeting was closed. I no- 
ticed doctors of divinity, professors in literary institutions, officers of the 
General Conference, men of wealth, position, and power, at the altar, and in 
deep earnest about this matter. * * * Not the least interesting meeting is 
that held every day by Mr. Battershall, a layman of New York, for business 
men. It is very largely attended. Meetings for the Ohio Conference and 
the Cincinnati Conference preachers are daily held; also for class-leaders 
and Sunday-school teachers; also for women — this is conducted by Mrs. 
Inskip. I learned that the preachers of the Cincinnati Conference, at one 



POWERFUL SERMON ON HOLINESS. 



423 



of their meetings, unanimously resolved to bury all differences, and go home 
and preach a full and present salvation. Some forty were at this meeting, 
which comprised some of the ablest and best men in the Conference." 

In addition to what has been already said of Mr. Cookman's 
preaching at this meeting, I give an account of it which ap- 
peared in one of the Cincinnati papers shortly afterward : 

" At ten o'clock the clang of the bell called the congregation to Church 
Square, where Rev. Alfred Cookman delivered another, of those grand ser- 
mons that are rapidly placing him in the front rank of the eloquent and 
effective pulpit orators of the Methodist Church. His text was read from 
Ephesians v., 18 — 'Be ye filled with the Spirit.' The preacher said, by 
way of introducing his subject, that on an occasion like this it would be su- 
perfluous to employ time to insist on the personality or individuality of the 
Holy Ghost, the Third Person of the Trinity. Unanimous assent to that 
doctrine may be taken for granted. He then referred briefly to the various 
offices of the Spirit, as contradistinguished from those of other persons of 
the "Trinity, and quoted from various inspired writers to establish the fact 
that the promise of the Spirit's presence* was one of the understood guar- 
antees given to man in the Scriptures. When the Holy Spirit comes to 
man it is not to speak of Himself, but to take of the things of Christ and 
show them unto us. The Spirit does not reveal Himself, but reveals the 
personality and presence of Christ. This explains the prominence given to 
Christ in all effective preaching of the Gospel. I detract not an iota from 
the merits of Christ. I am not surprised to hear you sing, ' Oh, how I love 
Jesus j' but we must not fail to recognize that it is our glorious privilege 
and duty to speak of, pray to, live in, have fellowship with, be filled by the 
Holy Spirit. 

" The effects of being filled with the Holy Spirit are developed in the 
consciousness, character, and life of man. Its effects on man's conscious- 
ness are : First, the soul will be hallowed in thought, feeling, and motive. 
Second, the soul will have a deep, full, and abiding experience of love — a 
valuable and beautiful fount of the very nature of the Spirit himself. Third, 
the soul will have the realization of real rest. Antagonisms will be allayed; 
antagonists transformed into servitors. The soul where the Spirit makes 
His home will be made a perfect home. 

" In character, religion aims to produce perfection. Character in its high- 
est form is not the product of merely human agencies, and a character devel- 
oped by the Spirit's operation will involve : First, holiness ; freedom from 
littleness, lowness, or vileness. Second, gentleness ; no agent is comparable 



424 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



with the Spirit in this matter of gentleness, and gentleness makes man great. 
Third, wisdom; this is pronounced in God's Word; God's children shall 
be the happiest, best, and wisest on His footstool. In personal life : first, 
a soul filled with the Spirit supplies the impulses of an earnest, useful, and 
valuable life; second, it will supply not only the motive power, but the abil- 
ity to accomplish; third, it associates with the words and labors of life the 
unction of the Holy One. 

" The speaker discussed at some length the question, What is unction ? 
He said : ' It is that subtle, intangible, irresistible influence of the Holy 
Spirit that seals instruction upon the hearts to which it is given. It is not 
the eloquent men of this world, the orators of great occasions, w^hose words 
linger longest in their influence upon the hearts of men. The unction may 
oftentimes be rather in the utterances of a humble disciple than in the de- 
livery of a powerful sermon. For this I am more concerned than for any 
thing else.' * * * 

" His clear, ringing voice penetrated to the remotest bounds of the great 
square, and under the influence of his eloquence men stood motionless as 
statues. The hour of twelve came, and the gongs and dinner-bells around 
the inclosure began an interruptive clangor. But no person in that congre- 
gation could have been tempted away by an epicurean feast. In that mo- 
ment there was food for the moral and religious nature being dispensed 
with all the liberality of eloquence, and the wants of physical nature were 
unheeded in these appeals. An imperfect report would utterly mar the 
beauty of the speaker's utterances, and a perfect report would fail to convey 
any idea of the glowing eloquence of his style, and the telling effect of his 
pathetic appeals to men and women to 'be filled with the Holy Spirit.' 
Your types could print the mere words, but no pen-power that I know of 
can clothe them with the garb of oratory in which they trooped forth from 
the speaker's lips, to take by storm the stubborn citadels of men's hearts 
and minds." 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



THE LAST CAMP-MEETINGS. FAILING HEALTH. THE LAST 

SERMON. 

With the camp-meeting at Urbana, Mr. Cookman's public 
services with the National Committee ceased. Some of the 
committee, during the same season, moved farther westward, 
and held meetings in a large tent at Topeka, Kansas, Salt Lake 
City, and in different parts of California; but he was not able, 
for want of time and strength, to accompany them. 

The effective work of the committee at Salt Lake was thus 
graphically described in The Methodist by the Rev. T. De Witt 
T aim age : 

" THE BIG TENT. 
"We found the track of the Methodist tent all the way across the continent. 
Mormonism never received such a shot as when, with Brigham Young and 
his elders present in the tent, the party of wide-awake Methodist ministers 
preached righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come in great Salt 
Lake City. The effect of those few days of faithful talking will never be for- 
gotten. Hardly a service is held in the Mormon Tabernacle that an effort is 
not made to combat the sermons of the itinerants. On the two occasions 
when we were present in the Tabernacle, all the speakers felt called upon 
to answer the Big Tent. It was evident that the monster of sin had been 
speared, and the wound rankled. We have never seen the brethren of that 
religious storming-party, but we hail them through these columns for the 
glorious work they have accomplished in Salt Lake City. It was the first 
gleam of light that some of the bondmen of the great religious despotism 
have seen for many a year. If the Methodists had stayed a few days longer, 
and gone around the walls of that Jericho, blowing the ' rams' horns,' I do 
not know but that the brazen superstition might have fallen in thunder 
and wreck. 

"Might not the Christian Church of all denominations learn a lesson from 
this religious crusade ? Our great ammunition-wagons are so clumsy and 



426 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



our big guns so unwieldy that the enemy often has us at disadvantage. I 
think a squad of flying artillery perhaps might go forth and surround the foe. 
We want more men in the religious world with the bold dash that Kilpatrick 
and Stonewall Jackson had in the military. We glorify the policy of 'fight- 
ing it out on one line, if it takes all summer,' but forget what a little Christian 
stratagem did when Gideon's three hundred men flung the pitchers and 
hoisted the lamps !" 

Mr. Cookman sought the cottage at Ocean Grove — but not to 
rest. This seemed quite impossible; for the camp -meeting 
there was in progress, and, being pressed to preach, he could 
not say " No." He tried hard to obtain a substitute, even after 
he had consented to preach. The burden of the service, already 
great, was increased by the unexpected appearance of the Presi- 
dent of the United States in the audience. The President had 
come down from his cottage at Long Branch to participate in 
the worship. 

"Among the listeners, while Rev. A. Cookman was preaching this morn- 
ing, was General Grant, President of the United States, and his lady-like and 
pleasant-faced wife. They walked in and took their seats together on one 
of the rough boards. The threatening aspect of the weather, and a pre- 
monitory sprinkle of rain, admonished our distinguished friends to seek the 
shelter of their carriage before the services were formally concluded. This 
saved the President from such a hearty hand-shaking as he has rarely been 
subject to. With many of the ministers and prominent laymen present he 
is on terms of intimacy, and much regret was felt that he could not remain 
all day in the atmosphere of prayer and praise. Brother Howland extend- 
ed to him a cordial invitation to partake of a camp-meeting dinner at his 
spacious tables, and, had he stayed longer, he should have been made to feel 
perfectly at home among the tents, some of which did service in the armies 
he once commanded on the James River. 

" Brother Cookman held all hearts by the spell of his eloquence during 
the presidential visit, and finished his discourse by a profoundly solemn sea- 
son of prayer."* 

It was the last day of the meeting that he preached. The 
effort had greatly exhausted his strength, but far into the last 



* Correspondence of The Methodist Ho??ie Journal. 



martha's vineyard. — last camp-meeting sermon. 427 

night he protracted his labors — singing, praying, talking, ex- 
horting — until his wife, extremely anxious for his welfare, urged 
him to desist and retire. " Oh, my dear," said he, "it is bless- 
ed ! it is blessed !" Thus standing, shaking hands with all, 
and singing, "Oh, bliss of the purified!" he remained while 
one was ready to remain and rejoice with him. 

This was not enough : whether possessed of a presentiment 
or not that his camp-meeting career would be soon ended, a 
restless longing seemed to fill him for still another effort on his 
chosen field. The fire which had constrained the seraphic Isaiah 
to cry, " For Zion's sake will I not rest, and for Jerusalem's sake 
will I not hold my peace, until the righteousness thereof go 
forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that 
burneth," had touched his lips, and off he hastened to Martha's 
Vineyard, and there we hear of him as preaching with over- 
whelming effect to the vast and promiscuous assemblage which 
had gathered at that favorite spot : 

" The preaching was unusually spiritual. Rev. Drs. Woodruff, Pierce, 
Tiffany, and Payne, the brothers Alfred and John Cookman, declared the 
truth in much assurance, and with great success. The sermon of Rev. Al- 
fred Cookman, on 'Be filled with the Spirit,' was mightily effective."* 

Another correspondent wrote : 

"Rev. A. Cookman, through God, did a mighty work for the cause of 
holiness. My impression is, if we, as a people, will follow the lead of the 
Holy Spirit, the Great Head of the Church will make our camp-meetings a 
wonderful means ' for spreading scriptural holiness over these lands.' "t 

The sermon here referred to, which was substantially the 
same as that p-reached at Urbana, on the text, " Be filled with 
the Spirit," was the last preached by Mr. Cookman at a camp- 
meeting. He was much agitated as to what he should preach, 
and, after earnest questioning and prayer, felt impressed to 
take this subject. What could so appropriately have been his 
last theme to the general Church, represented as it was in all 



* The Methodist 



f The Methodist Home Journal. 



428 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



its branches on that occasion, as this one great theme of his 
life. Lifted up — to what eye-witnesses have declared was an 
illumination of person and mind — there, on the remotest coast 
of New England, he delivered a message to the Church, which 
the winds of heaven have been wafting northward, westward, 
and southward, till believers of every section must catch the 
wondrous sound, " Be filled with the Spirit." There is no leg- 
acy which a truly devoted minister of the Lord Jesus Christ 
could so fittingly leave to all Christians, whom he loved as he 
loved his life, as the exhortation and the prayer for them " to 
be filled with the Spirit." In this sentiment he felt was "com- 
pleted and compacted " the one great want of the Christian 
Church. 

Mr. Cookman returned from Martha's Vineyard, spent two 
weeks at Ocean Grove, and then brought his family home, and 
early in September was at the regular work of his charge. The 
great spiritual preparation which he had earnestly desired for 
his fall and winter work had evidently been granted ; his mind 
began promptly to unfold plans of increasing usefulness, and 
in all the public and social services there was an enlarged at- 
tendance and a manifest deepening of religious fervor. The 
special service for the promotion of holiness, not hitherto ap- 
pointed, was now established, and from it the happiest results 
were anticipated.* 

There was, however, one drawback to the pastor's plans and 
expectations — a disturbing element had thrust itself forward 
and demanded recognition — a strange element, which hereto- 
fore had never entered into his reckonings, beset him ; his 
health, always before so firm and reliable, was now weak and 

* A card, neatly printed, was issued and circulated with these words : 
The " Higher Christian Life. A meeting for all interested, irrespective of 
denominational connections, is held every Friday evening, in the Chapel 
of Central M. E. Church, Market Street, near Mulberry. Please preserve 
this card as a remembrancer." 



EARTH NEEDS THE GOOD. 



treacherous. His physical constitution had lost its elasticity; 
accustomed hitherto to recover its vigor immediately with the 
suspension of hard work, it now failed to show signs of recu- 
peration. The bow, strung too long, had lost its spring, and, when 
the string was loosed, there was no rebound. Alfred Cookm an 
had gone too far for his strength — -this last summer's campaign 
had finished what former summers' work had begun and has- 
tened — the premature decay of his bodily powers. 

It is impossible, as I now enter the shadows which begin to 
gather about our friend, whom I have thus followed step by step 
until this period of his life, to dismiss wholly from sight a ques- 
tion which, despite the sanctity of his character, the usefulness 
of his career, and the triumph of his death, obtrudes itself upon 
me : Can his uniform course of attending and working at suc- 
cessive camp-meetings during the summer seasons be wholly 
commended? The difficulty of seeing any mistake in a life so 
full of good fruits is very great ; and yet, when the loss to the 
Church and to the world which the death of such a man entails 
is weighed, those who feel it most deeply may be forgiven if 
they suggest conditions which, humanly considered, may have 
prevented it. 

" Oh, sir ! the good die first, 
And they whose hearts are dry as summer dust 
Burn to the socket," 

is an utterance which gratifies a sort of vengeful feeling when 
we see the good stricken down in their prime and the wicked 
living to old age ; but it is not such as Christianity warrants. 
The earth needs the good. The cause of God needs the wis- 
dom of age as well as the zeal of youth. Life is the order 
of God, and, except where it can be clearly pointed out as a 
duty, it is not to be unduly exposed. Times may come, calls 
may arise which demand its jeopardy and even its sacrifice as 
the price of conscience, liberty, humanity j but ordinarily God 
is most glorified when, by a due observance of the laws of 



430 LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 

health, it is prolonged and preserved in cumulative perfection 
to advanced years. 

There is no reason why a holy man should not increase in 
holiness and usefulness until old age, and present, though in a 
different aspect, quite as beautiful an exemplification of the 
force of religion in the aged as in the young. This is a view 
of the subject quite necessary to be looked at, especially by 
youth. There is something peculiarly fascinating to ardent 
natures in the halo which invests a rapid, fiery course and an 
early triumphant death • but to other minds there is something 
repellent, as implying a logical connection between a life of 
the highest devotion and a premature death. A devout man 
may conscientiously refuse incessant; overtasking labor, and 
insist upon the hours and days of relaxation, for the preserva- 
tion of his health, in order that he may thus offer to God a 
larger and more effective service. St. Paul had a desire to de- 
part and be with Christ, which he felt to be far better for him- 
self, because he would thus sooner be free from suffering, and 
be present with the Lord ; but he yielded to the motive of use- 
fulness to the Church as a reason sufficiently strong to control 
his personal preference, and consented to remain in the body. 

The desire for the greatest usefulness may lead one man to 
such intensity of action as to preclude intermission of labor, 
under the impression that time thus spent is lost; while the 
same desire may lead another to the strict observance of vaca- 
tion, as more economical of time, because regarded as indis- 
pensable to the maintenance of an equable and steady strength. 
One man's motto is, " Labor here, rest hereafter another's 
motto is, " Some rest and more labor." Both may be equally 
religious, be alike governed by the glory of God ; but certainly 
if the human race, before its universal death and resurrection, 
is to possess the earth, if in humanity as now constituted, only 
saved from sin and immorality, God is to be glorified in what 
is ordinarily expected as the millennium, then conservation of 



WANT OF ENOUGH RELAXATION. 



431 



physical health and the prolongation of human life must be 
considered one of the first duties of practical religion. God's 
greatest glory will be revealed in the highest perfection of the 
threefold man — soul, body, and spirit. 

A doubt can not be raised as to the thorough conscientious- 
ness of Mr. Cookman, nor, with the notions of individual lib- 
erty, which must be conceded in reference to personal con- 
duct, especially in- view of the good sense, and the extreme care- 
with which he canvassed all questions of religion and morals, 
both for himself and others, is it easy to say that he should have 
acted differently in the use of his time and energies than he 
did. While he was in the fullness of his vigor, fame, and use- 
fulness, his friends used to remonstrate with him against devot- 
ing his vacations in the heats of summer to the same mental 
and bodily work to which he was accustomed all the year round. 
He thought the change of scene and place would be sufficient 
to prevent damage to his health. But the trouble was that, 
while change of scene did bring a degree of relaxation, the 
mind continued, only in an intenser degree, to be excited in the 
same direction as in the ordinary work of the pastoral charge. 
If, after the exhaustion of the camp-meetings, he could have had 
freedom from care for a month each year, his labors could have 
been continued, in all likelihood, for many years, for his phys- 
ical resources were truly remarkable; but it was not possible for 
a man, even of his bodily powers, to go directly from the cares 
of a charge to the herculean work of five or six camp-meetings 
every season, and to return immediately to the exacting duties 
of the pastorate, without detriment to his health, and probable 
premature decay of his vital force. ,He did not realize his dan- 
ger in the beginning, and with each additional year his zeal 
became so absorbing as to consume him, so that I believe his 
course was finally one of deliberate choice, taken with his eyes 
fully open to the worst consequences. 

I can not approve his election on general principles. I may 



43 2 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



accept it as that which God's Spirit pointed out to him as his 
proper path \ and, in accepting it, I must be carried away with 
admiration for so sublime an embodiment of that ancient, he- 
roic, self-sacrificing devotion which inspired the apostles and 
confessors of the primitive, ages, and which still in these mod- 
ern times impels scores and hundreds of believers to brave the 
pestilence, the savage, and the deep for the Cross of Christ. 
Surely no one can turn away from the career of this saint 
of God, after contemplating his self-sacrificing zeal for the 
salvation of his fellow -men, and say 41 the age of heroes is 
past." 

After all, it may be that one lesson, in addition to many oth- 
ers, which divine Providence meant to teach in the history of 
His servant, is the greater moral beauty, the richer blessedness 
of a zeal which consumes, in contradistinction to the dwarfed 
religiousness which the thought of self and the love of ease en- 
gender—low principles which, alas! are too prevalent in our 
clay. Sometimes extremes can only be met by extremes ; a 
low stoop is necessary to reach a deep depression — so Alfred 
Cookman may have been a sacrifice to an excessive zeal, whose 
force, all the greater by its contrast, shall kindle the breasts of 
others, and arouse them from a too utilitarian and cold policy 
for the work of saving a selfish world. 

But the day is passing — the sun nears the west — the shadows 
are lengthening — enough of. my reflections. We will hear more 
from him. Some one remarked to him during his last illness, 
" Perhaps you have worked too hard, and have not been suf- 
ficiently careful of your health." "Well," he replied, "I do 
not know — I have enjoyed my work; I have not been con- 
scious of overtaxing myself. I had but one life to live here, 
and it was for the glory of Jesus ; and He has abundantly 
recompensed me." 

The following letters make but little mention of his health, 
and are full of gentle love and genuine goodness. 



THE MEMORY OF URBANA CAMP-MEETING. 



433 



To Mrs. Lewis, of Columbus, Ohio : 

"Newark, N. J., September 7, 1871. 

" We received most thankfully and joyfully your welcome letter. There 
are no epistolary missives that come to our home that are more affection- 
ately hailed than your own. You would excuse us from the necessity of re- 
plying ; but no ! my Christian lady, you must not just yet exclude us from 
the joy of corresponding with one of our dearest earthly friends, for Mrs. 
C. and I both feel that in our large circle there is no heart truer, kinder, 
or more faithful than your own. Twelve years of blessed intimacy and 
growing affection will not heed the suggestion of your modest and ap- 
preciative kindness. Thoughts are not sufficient ; we must tell you in your 
Western home that 'mountains rise to separate us in vain.' God gave you 
to us — one of His special gifts — and you know that His blessings are not 
only peculiarly satisfying, but they become richer and sweeter and better the 
longer they are retained. 

" I can not give you any idea how delighted I was to meet you at Urbana. 
I thought constantly of Homer, and felt if he could have brightened our cir- 
cle with his brotherly face, and then we could have gone all together into 
the ocean of divine fullness, this would have completed our joy. The last 
of our National camp-meetings was for me the most glorious. How good 
the Heavenly Father was to me, His humble legate ! What access He 
gave me to the hearts of the people ! What comfort in the proclamation of 
His truth ! I am persuaded that God specially honored your faith on 
Tuesday morning, and in response to your intercessions vouchsafed the send- 
ing of the Holy One. It was one of the most hallowed and blessed services 
with which I have ever been identified ; and, indeed, all through it was 
the Divinity ! the Divinity ! ! Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the 
Holy Ghost. I rejoice to hear of your Friday-afternoon meeting. This 
will be a power and a blessing. The little flame kindled at the Gapitol will 
spread and meet other flames burning in different localities, until Ohio shall 
blaze with the glory of full salvation. Our sojourn at the sea-side was both 
delightful and profitable. The ocean breezes invigorated me physically. 
Our dear Brother Benjamin Adams was tented just alongside of our cot- 
tage, and in his society I spent some of my happiest moments. The chil- 
dren think that Ocean Grove is next to heaven. Your splendid boy re- 
turned home more splendid than ever. He is still the idol of our household. 
His torment at present is the mosquitoes ! They will bite him, and I do not 
wonder — if I was one I should insist on a little piece myself. When night 
comes, they seem to pass by our bed, and they concentrate on the crib — illus- 
trating that even mosquitoes know what is good. 

T 



434 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



" Now I have filled my pages, and said only a tithe of what I wanted to 
write. Give love to your sister. Write soon and often to your Christian 
brother." 

To Mr. and Mrs. Moore, of Wilmington, Del. : 

"Newark, N. J., September 9, 1871. 

" I add a brief postscript to my wife's letter, to say that you are both very 
dear to my heart, and your kind attentions, unremitted confidence, and ten- 
der love have made the deepest impression upon my better nature, and I 
think of you as among the most precious of my Heavenly Father's blessings. 
Sister Emily has for so many years vindicated her faithful friendship, that 
this is a settled matter ; and she takes her place, not among the volunteers, 
but with the tried and trusted veterans. Brother M. I have not known quite 
so long, but three years have done more for him than thirty for some others. 
No one could have been truer or warmer or more faithful, and he has a place 
just alongside of his devoted wife — and that is a very special place. 

" Now this note, instead of being a little budget of news, is a declaration 
of love ; and, indeed, I joy to tell you both how, despite separation, my heart 
clings to you as fondly as when I stood in the relation of a cherished pastor. 

" Love is a blessed sunshine on life's way, and, thank God, we may make 
sunshine for others while we bask in its invigorating beams ourselves. 

" My health is very much better than it has been, so that I do my regular 
work as formerly. Yesterday, Sabbath, I preached twice and delivered a 
missionary address. Next Friday evening we begin a meeting for the pro- 
motion of Christian holiness. How I could desire your co-operation in this 
effort to exalt Jesus and help fellow-disciples. God bless you both. Come 
and see us ! The warmest welcome awaits you at No. 21 Clinton Street." 

To Mrs. Edward Moore, of Wilmington, Del. : 

" Newark, N. J., October 23, 1871. 

" You can not imagine how much pleasure your letter gave us. It was 
read and re-read, and then read over again. Any word from Wilmington 
is specially welcome. We have many blessed memories of our last pastor- 
ate ; indeed, I do not know of any place to which our feelings turn more 
tenderly than your neat, quiet, orderly, and pleasant little city. 

" Every thing is pleasant and promising in our Newark pastorate. Our 
Friday-evening meeting for the promotion of holiness is already a blessed 
success — largely attended, and with the needed unction of the Holy One. 
The friends seem to have a revival in their faith, and we are confidently 
waiting for showers of blessing. Our best love to all the dear friends of 
Grace Church, especially to the little circle that associate themselves on 



RIDING IN THE AMBULANCE. 



435 



Wednesday afternoon and evening. My word to them you will find in 
First Thessalonians, third chapter, eighth to thirteenth verses. Write fre- 
quently, if you can, and give us all the items of Wilmington life." 

To Mr. W. W. Cookman, of Philadelphia : 

"Newark, N. J., October n, 1871. 

" I can not tell you how grateful and gratifying was your fraternal letter. 
For some time past I have, had it upon my mind to use my pen in re-opening 
our correspondence. .Affectionate brothers, alive to each other's interests, 
there ought certainly to be a more frequent interchange of thoughts and feel- 
ings. Greatly desiring and fully intending this, I have allowed bodily indis- 
position, with the pressure of immediate duties, to influence me, and this 
pleasant exercise has been postponed. You have anticipated me in this 
matter. I thank you most tenderly for your brotherly consideration, and I 
promise to be more thoughtful and faithful in the future. 

" You refer to my recent indisposition. This has been a new chapter in 
my experience. Blessed, as you know, with robust health scarcely ever in- 
terrupted, it was a trial to feel or acknowledge myself an invalid. During 
the summer campaign in the forests, to ride in the ambulance and hear the 
noise of the battle or the shouts of the victors, when my accustomed place 
was ' at the front,' was a new experience, and called for grace, special grace. 
My covenant-keeping Lord, however, has been fulfilling his gracious prom- 
ises. He has not left or forsaken me. He has supplied all my need, and 
gives me occasion daily for thanksgiving and praise. My trouble was an in- 
termittent fever, a torpid liver, some kidney difficulty, and a prostration cf 
my nervous system. Thanks to a gracious Providence, I am very much bet- 
ter — am able to preach twice every Sabbath, and supervise the general in- 
terests of my charge. Weakness in my knees and ankles, making locomo- 
tion sometimes a painful effort, is my chief ailment now. Frosty weather 
will probably relieve this and invigorate my nervous energies. Dr. Nelson, 
of New York, wants me to take a year's rest, and go to Europe and the 
East. As I am situated, however, this seems to me to be impracticable. 
You have, of course, heard of John's engagement. * * * This I regard as 
the last and best installment of heaven's love for our younger brother. We 
are usually well at our Newark home. Annie joins me in tenderest love to 
yourself and Mary. Kisses for your boys from their uncle, aunt, and cous- 
ins. Come and visit us when you can. A most cordial welcome awaits 
you or any of yours." 

The last article which came from Mr. Cookman's hand for 
publication, was a preface, written at the request of Mr. W. S. 



436 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Hillis of Wilmington, Delaware, for a little tract containing the 
.account of Dr. Coan's labors in the island of Hilo. The tract 
was afterward published. The article was conveyed in a letter 
to Mr. Hillis : 

"Newark, N.J., October 19, 1871. 
" I ought perhaps to take a season of rest, but in my relations, both family 
and ecclesiastical, this seems impracticable. I am the child of the best of 
fathers, and He is pledged to the supervision of all my interests. What 
may be His design in my present condition, I can not know. Lying quietly 
and lovingly and confidently in His blessed embrace, I look up and say, 
' Good is the will of the Lord.' I want to be entirely willing to do or not 
to do." 

Mr. Cookman continued to fulfill all his ministerial duties 
during the weeks of September and October. But it was evi- 
dent to his family and friends that his bodily strength was not 
adequate to the tasks he was performing. It was the opinion 
of medical men that his health was seriously impaired and 
needed absolute rest, and he was advised to take a tour to 
Europe. The way did not appear to be open, and so he toiled 
on — hoping, though not without alternations of fear, that with 
the cool frosts of autumn his strength would return. He would at 
this time, after being out through the day making pastoral calls, 
come home and throw himself on the sofa utterly exhausted, 
and say, " Sometimes I think my work is nearly done, and when 
I take my bed, it may be my last sickness." Then again he 
would rally, and talk of his plans for the future. He still moved 
quite freely among his ministerial brethren. As late as the first 
of October he was over to New York in attendance upon the 
Preachers' meeting, interchanging greetings and showing all his 
wonted buoyancy of feeling. His hearty grasp and glowing ex- 
pressions on that occasion can not soon be forgotten. 

While instant in labor in his own charge, he was ever ready, 
sick as he was, to render outside help to the ministers of neigh- 
boring cities. 



HEAVENLY LONGINGS. 



437 



The Rev. L. R. Dunn writes : 

" After the summer campaign was over, he resumed his work with great 
hopefulness. Having been a pastor for five years of the same Church, 
and knowing intimately its official boards and its entire membership, I can 
safely say that never before in all their history were they laboring with 
greater unanimity, with loftier inspirations, and with more assured promise 
and hope for their future enlargement and prosperity. Every movement he 
made, every word he spoke, every meeting he held, and every sermon he 
preached seemed to distill a fragrance not only in his own Church, but as far 
as he was known through all the churches and all the community. * * * 

" As an illustration of this, an intelligent young man, who had been brought 
to Christ during my ministry in the Central Church, although afterward con- 
nected with another of our churches in the city, was conversing with me 
after his death about his goodness and purity. So impressed did he seem 
to be that I asked him if he had often heard him preach ? ' No,' said he, 1 1 
have never heard him preach, but I have watched him as he was walking 
along the street.'' So that his very shadow as he walked left its impress on 
the mind and heart of that young man. * * * I had arranged to have a few 
days of extra services in my charge, and he had promised to spend a day 
with me. He came in during the afternoon meeting, and talked very sweetly 
and impressively to all present of his experience of full salvation. After 
service he went to my house with one of our dear mutual friends, and re- 
mained until the evening service. When leaving the house he said to me, 
' Let me take your arm ; since my sickness this last summer I have been a 
little lame, and my limbs sometimes seem to give way.' Little did I think 
then, as he walked and talked of Jesus and His love, that he was so near to 
his heavenly home. * * * He preached with great power on ' Put ye on the 
Lord Jesus,' and his sermon seemed to produce a deep impression." 

Nothing could exceed the spiritual mindedness of Mr. Cook- 
man through these weeks. He was full of plans for life, but a 
deep under-current of feeling bore all his thoughts heavenward. 
He almost literally lived and moved, in God. His spirit was 
becoming so filled with the atmosphere of the skies, that its 
tendency was upward, and, imperceptibly to himself and his 
friends, he was so ready for the ascent that it was with difficulty 
he could be held to earth. Walking out one evening with his 
wife, as he looked up to the heavens he said, " Those are my 



438 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Father's stars " — " That is my Father's moon." A short time be- 
fore he was taken sick they visited a house where they saw an 
oil-painting of a saint just entering heaven; lingering by it, he 
said, " How I covet her — she is almost within the gate and 
then requested his wife to sing — 

" Oh, the city ! oh, the glory ! 
Far beyond the rapturous story 
Of the ages old and hoary — 
Oh ! 'tis heaven at last !" 

He gazed in transport as he seemed to fancy her just entering 
the heavenly city. 

The month of October, with its keen, crisp breath, was fast 
speeding away, without reviving the flagging steps of the weary 
invalid. He grew perceptibly weaker. While in attendance 
upon the National Committee in New York, about the middle 
of the month, he made a call at his brother's house in West 
Thirty-fourth Street. Though feeble, he was very bright and 
cheerful. His whole conversation was about Jesus and his 
cause. That visit proved the last. Two days before his final 
illness he attended a love-feast at the Halsey Street Methodist 
Episcopal Church, Newark. His ankles were then very weak, 
but such was his devotion to the Master's work that he could not 
refuse to go. At the close of the meeting he gave his experi- 
ence from the commencement of his religious life, dwelling es- 
pecially upon the holy influence and example of his mother. 
Returning home, two of his warm friends walked on each side 
of him to support his feeble steps. He said to them, " I know 
it is not popular to hold up the doctrine of holiness, but I 
thought I would do my .whole duty then; I feel this may be 
my last opportunity." 

On Sunday, the 2 2d of October, he performed his last public 
services. Fie had said many times when in health, " I would 
like to die, if it is God's will, with my armor on, and preach by 
my death as well as by my life." He often spoke of the Rev. 



LAST SERMON : FADING AS A LEAF. 



439 



Dudley Tyng, with whom he was intimately associated in Phil- 
adelphia, and said, " It was glorious to die as he did, for his 
dying testimony was yet echoing through the world." He even 
said he "would prefer to die in the pulpit." His wish, though 
not literally, was about to be substantially gratified. His work 
and his life were to end together. His death was to be the 
most effective sermon of his whole career — a fitting vindication 
and illustration of the power of the doctrines he had preached 
and lived — a death which, for its singular spiritual glory, is des- 
tined to be spoken of while the annals of Christian saints shall 
be read, and which for its wondrous force will be quoted and 
dwelt upon as a divine inspiration while there shall be a Church 
to cherish the memory of the good, or a trembling believer 
who shall need cheer amid the stern struggles of life and 
death. 

In the morning he preached from Mark iv., 25, "From him 
that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath" — 
a very solemn and effective sermon. In the afternoon he visit- 
ed the Sabbath-school, as was his custom, and shook hands 
with every teacher and scholar. Toward evening he com- 
plained of not feeling well, and Mrs. Cookman was very anx- 
ious to get some one to fill his pulpit for the evening service. 
But he would not consent, saying, " I think I have a message 
from God for this people ; I shall preach from ' the faded leaf.' " 
As he arose to announce his text, he held in his hand a faded 
leaf, saying "this is my text, 'We all do fade as a leaf.'" Sev- 
eral persons remarked afterward to his wife that " he looked 
like one transfigured." A lady said to her husband, " She did 
not think that Fletcher could have looked more seraphic." As 
he finished his sermon his feet gave way, and passing from the 
pulpit he handed the leaf to a friend, saying, " The leaf and the 
preacher are very much alike— -fading" He limped home, and 
when his wife received him in the parlor he was almost dis- 
tracted with pain. As he was assisted to his chamber he re- 



44o 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



marked to her, " I have preached my own experience to-night, 
1 Fading as a leaf? " 

The physician in attendance pronounced the disease Mial- 
gia, or acute inflammatory rheumatism, the pain being confined 
to the ankles and the soles of the feet. There was also a tor- 
pid condition of the liver, which added very much to his dis- 
comfort. The next few days were accompanied with intense 
suffering ; but he was heard to say " that, while his whole lower 
nature was quivering with agony, his higher nature triumphed 
in God." At times he would be so filled with the Spirit as to 
burst out in the midst of his anguish into expressions of praise 
and love. I quote again from the Rev. Mr. Dunn : <; In at- 
tempting to describe his sufferings to me he used the following 
language : ' If,' said he, ' the bones of my feet were all teeth, 
and each one had what we call the jumping toothache, it would 
give you some idea of what I suffer.' After conversation and 
prayer, when I rose to leave, he grasped my hand, and, looking 
up so lovingly in my eyes, he said, 'My precious brother, how I 
love you ! I have always felt a special nearness to you ever 
since I have known you.' But, great as his sufferings were, he 
seemed then to have no idea he was so near his end, but talked 
freely of his plans for the future, and his hope of a speedy re- 
covery." 

After about one week of almost constant pain, approaching 
sometimes to convulsions, alleviated only by slight intervals of 
ease, he became apparently convalescent. When a lull in his 
sufferings took place he was very bright and cheerful, and he 
manifested the keenest interest in every thing which occurred 
around him both beyond and within the house. Every little in- 
cident in the outer world was referred to with the liveliest ap- 
preciation; while the acts of kindness performed by those in 
attendance upon him, even of the most trivial kind, were re- 
ceived with the sweetest look of pleasure and gratitude. Al- 
ways to the question, " How are you ?" he would reply, " I think 



AFFECTION FOR HIS PEOPLE. 



441 



I am a little better.*' After rallying from the first paroxysms 
of suffering, he had his books and paper brought to him, and 
employed his time as he was able in reading or being read to, 
and in writing notes to his friends. His Bible was daily by his 
side; when he was unable to read it, either the children or his 
wife would read it to him, and he would respond, "There is 
nothing like the Word of the Lord;" or, " Oh, how precious !" 
At his request his daughter Annie read to him the sixteenth 
chapter of the Gospel of St. John — always a favorite chapter 
with him. She said to him one clay as he was suffering with 
pain in the back of his neck, " Pa, are you not afraid that it will 
go to your brain?'' " Xo, darling," he answered, "not unless 
the Lord Jesus would have it." October 29th, one week from 
the time of his prostration, a meeting being held by the mem- 
bers of his Church to pray especially for his recovery, he dic- 
tated for them the following note : 

"Mr. Cookman wishes me to say that he appreciates more than he can 
express the sympathy and love of his dear people. He loved you all very 
tenderly before his present illness; he feels that he will love you much more 
in the future. This is a Sabbath of great physical suffering, and yet it is 
proving, doubtless in answer to your prayers, the most precious of all his 
life. He says he is Christ's suffering little child; and with every sharp, 
keen, excruciating pain, he feels that Jesus presses him even more closely 
to his great heart of love, and lets him realize the power of His divine sym- 
pathy and tenderness. He says, 1 God bless you all — the kindest, dearest 
people that any pastor ever served.' " 

T 2 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE LAST HOURS, — SWEEPING THROUGH THE GATES. 

It was after reviving from one of the severe paroxysms to 
which Mr. Cookman was subject, about one week from the first 
attack, that he had what may be regarded as a remarkable vis- 
ion. He found himself just inside of heaven. He was first 
received by his grandfather Cookman, who said, " When you 
were in England, I took great pleasure in showing you the dif- 
ferent places of interest ; now I welcome you to heaven, my 
grandson, washed in the blood of the Lamb !" He was next 
received by his father — whose features were as distinct as when 
he saw him in his boyhood days — he also said, " Welcome, my 
son, washed in the blood of the Lamb !" Then his brother 
George took him in his arms, and said, " Welcome, my brother, 
washed in the blood of the Lamb !" And lastly his son Bru- 
ner received him with the same salutation — " Welcome, father, 
washed in the blood of the Lamb !" Each one of these in turn 
presented him to the Throne. When he told his wife of what 
he had seen and heard, he remarked, " That was an abundant 
entrance." She asked him if it was a dream. He replied, 
"No, it was between sleeping and waking." Saint Stephen is 
not the last of God's suffering, dying servants who have seen 
heaven opened before their entrance into it. 

He was often heard to repeat the simple words, 
" I'm a poor sinner, and nothing at all, 
Jesus Christ is my all in all." 

He now seemed to understand as never before the expression, 
" Perfect, or purified through suffering." " I have known for 



MESSAGES FROM THE BORDER LAND. 



443 



many years what it is to be washed in the blood of the Lamb • 
now I understand the full meaning of that verse, 'These are they 
which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes 
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.' I used to 
maintain that the blood was sufficient, but I am coming to 
know that tribulation brings us to the blood that cleanseth." 
His mother, who visited him frequently, reminded him that the 
Saviour suffered in his feet, to which he afterward often refer- 
red. " You know the nails pierced His precious feet, and He 
can sympathize with me in my sufferings. ' In all their afflic- 
tions he was afflicted.' " To his son Frank he said, "The ef- 
fect of this sickness is to draw me closer and closer to the heart 
of Jesus." 

The last letters he wrote will be read and cherished as well- 
nigh messages from heaven. 

To Miss Howland, of Wilmington, Del., now the wife of Rev. 
John E. Cookman : 

"Monday, November 6, 1871. 

"Do I anticipate ? Nay ! your tender, loving spirit and my warm frater- 
nal feeling constitute you already a sister beloved. 

" Your sweet letter came into my sick-room like a love-bird, and its carol 
of sympathy caused tears of thankfulness to flow down my cheeks. 

"This is the third week of my sickness. My physician (a skillful and 
faithful man) will not allow me to get out of bed, so that I am penning 
this note (the first I have written) lying on my back, and using my pen- 
cil as best I can. For eight or nine days I suffered beyond expression. 
Sometimes the spasms of pain, affecting my entire nervous system, were al- 
most more than I could bear (a new chapter in my experience), for hitherto 
' I have been wonderfully healthy and strong ; and yet, will you believe me, 
these have been among the best weeks of my life. When the pain was 
greatest, the precious Jesus would draw me closest to His great heart of 
love, and whisper in my spiritual ear some of His soothing and inspiring 
promises. 

" I am loving more and more the will of my Father in heaven, for if it 
brings suffering (which is but for a moment), it brings also an infinite com- 
pensation, not only in the sympathy and loving kindness of Jesus, but also 
■ in the persuasion that our present afflictions are intended to work in us the 



444 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



peaceable fruits of righteousness, and to work out for us a far more exceed- 
ing and eternal weight of glory. 

" Of course I have had no painful solicitude respecting the future. To 
the praise of the divine grace, I humbly testify this was taken away long ago. 
' Perfect love casteth out fear.' My faith and hope have come back to cheer 
me with the assurance that ' all is well.' 

" Oh ! I have so much to write — but I must forbear. 

" I am, thank God, on the upward grade. My feet are still so sore and 
weak that I could not probably take two steps, and then my system is greatly 
prostrated by reason of my protracted suffering. 

" Tell your precious mother that her most welcome letter of sympathy 
and sisterly love came to hand this morning. Its expressions of tender af- 
fection quite subdued my heart, and made me praise God for such warm, 
fast, Christian friends. If practicable, I will be glad to breathe for a day or 
two the sanctified atmosphere of your beautiful home at Hilton. 

" Give my truest and best love to your dear father and mother and your 
venerated grandparents. God bless them, and grant that their golden-wed- 
ding may ripen into the glory- wedding — and, oh ! shall I not sit down with 
them and you at the marriage-supper of the Lamb ? Now I can not write 
any more. . Good-bye, my sweet sister Meta. Continue to pray for me. 
Yours forever." 

To Mrs. Stevens, of Wilmington, Del. : 

"Newark, N. J., November 6, 1871. 
" I am still the prisoner of the Lord — but oh, what an honor ! what a 
privilege ! what a joy ! Infinite Love is my Keeper, and the Lord's prison- 
houses are incomparably more desirable than the gorgeous palaces of wick- 
edness. 

" This is now the third week of my affliction. Lying on my back, I am 
grateful to be able to use my pencil in communing with the dear friends 
whose tried affection is cherished among my heart's richest treasures, and 
the expression of whose sympathy is so soothing and welcome. When our 
Christian boy was wrested from us, no voice was more tender, no heart 
more sympathizing than your own. We have not forgotten it — and now 
that it pleases the best of fathers to afflict your unworthy brother, it is most 
encouraging and inspiring to know that that same true heart turns to the 
human in love and to the divine in prayer. 

" Precious sister, your prayers have reached the Throne, and the gracious 
answers have been blessing me both in my body and my soul. Two weeks 
since I was struck in my own pulpit, just at the close of the evening sermon. 



TRIUMPH IN THE FURNACE. 



445 



I felt my feet giving way ; I limped home, I scarcely know how. Lying 
down on my bed, the pain rapidly developed, until it was almost more than I 
could endure. Confined to the ankle and soles of the feet, it was as if that 
part were full of teeth, and all were quivering at the same moment with vio- 
lent, jumping toothache. This, of course, made the feet so sore that I could 
not bear to have them touched. The pulsing pain in the sore feet, continu- 
ing day after day, involved my whole nervous system, until in the paroxysms 
I was almost like one the victim of convulsions. Oh, the long, weary nights ! 
— the throbbing pain beating the seconds of hours that seemed like little ages. 

" Since Tuesday last I have had measurable relief, though prostrated be- 
yond expression in my general system. Owing to the soreness of my feet, 
and the condition of my liver and other organs, the doctor insists on my re- 
maining in bed a few days longer. I have thus entered into detail respect- 
ing myself, because I thought it might be what your kind, warm heart would 
desire to know. 

" But now, turning from the sick and suffering man, let me humbly ac- 
knowledge that the inward man, walking in the furnace, has been wonder- 
fully sustained and enabled to triumph day after day. Oh, Sister Emily, 
how precious is full salvation in our times of extremity ! When every nerve 
was quivering with agony, the heart sent up its blessed testimony — ' Washed 
in the blood of the Lamb.' I realized, too, that I would have some little 
claim to the other part of that blessed Scripture — ' These are they that have 
come up through great tribulation,' etc. I could, if I were physically able, 
fill many pages with these experiences — all of grace. Join me to sing, 1 Glo- 
ry to the Lamb.' 

" All the rest are well, and send you and Brother Edward tenderest love. 
Do please write soon again — your letters are like so much light thrown into 
my sick-room. God bless my Wilmington friends." 

To Mrs. Stevens, of Wilmington, Del. : 

"Newark, November 8, 1871. 
" To-day they are allowing me to sit up for a little while. Thank God 
for this indication of convalescence ; but I am still very much prostrated in 
my physical nature. To rest my weight on my feet or to take a single step 
would be quite out of the question. As yet, there is no developing appetite 
whatever. I nibble a little, but it is a mere matter of form, or to make some 
contribution to the reduced strength of my system. The great concern on 
my mind has been to know exactly what is the will or design of my Heav- 
enly Father in this dispensation. It has wonderfully increased my interest 
in and sympathy for suffering humanity. Oh, it seems to me I would most 



446 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



willingly rub or bathe the feet even of a suffering brute. It has realized to 
me the power and preciousness of many parts of Scripture bearing upon 
suffering — passages that previously had their exposition principally in my 
intellect. It has satisfied me of the independent action of the soul, for when 
my whole lower nature seemed to be quivering and quailing through excru- 
ciating pain, my higher being not only trusted, but triumphed in the God of 
my salvation. The best hours of my illness were when the fierce fires of 
suffering were kindling and scorching all around me. It has convinced me 
that full salvation is the only preparation for the ten thousand contingencies 
that belong to a mortal career. Oh, how soothing to feel, hour by hour, 
that the soul has been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and to experience 
the inspiration of that perfect love that casteth out all fear that hath torment. 
These with other lessons have been most precious and profitable, and yet 
I can not but think that my faithful Lord has some ulterior meaning in this 
affliction that is not as yet fully or satisfactorily revealed. I want to sit like 
little Samuel, and, with a humble and obedient heart, say, ' Speak, Lord, 
for thy servant heareth.' God's will is so infinitely good, that without fear 
I would follow where it leads. Your allusions to the grassy hillocks in the 
Clyde Cemetery were most tender and touching. Truly, as you intimate, 
those sacred mounds become our earthly Pisgahs. They lift us above the 
world, and enable us to retrospect profitably the past and anticipate rapt- 
urously 

" ' Canaan, fair and happy land, 
Where our possessions lie.' 

" Let me thank you, my dear sister, for your gentle sympathy and strong 
and valued affection. ' A world in purchase for such a friend would not be 
too dear.' Your beautiful letter was read again and again in my sick-room, 
and in every instance it lifted me up in my thoughts and feelings. Will you 
not remember me most affectionately to your beloved daughters ? We shall 
still indulge the hope of sharing with them the hospitality of our itinerant 
home." 

To Mrs. Abraham Bruner, his mother-in-law : 

" Saturday, November n, 1871. 

"I am writing this note in my bed, to which I have been confined for 
three weeks. For some months past I have been far from well, but at the 
close of my sermon on the evening of October 22 I felt my feet giving away. 
I limped home, went to bed, and for about nine days was almost distracted 
with what my physicians entitled mzalgia—a.n acute form of inflammatory 
rheumatism. The pain was confined to my ankles and the soles of my feet. 



FONDNESS FOR SINGING. 



447 



It was just as if the back part of the feet were filled with teeth, and all at 
the same time affected with violent, jumping toothache. This, of course, 
made my feet so sore that I could scarcely bear to have them touched. 
Then the pulsing pain in the sore feet, continuing day after day, so involved 
my whole nervous system that toward the last it was almost like convul- 
sions. The only relief that I got was through morphine and chloroform. 
For ten days I have been relieved of the pain, but still am very sick. Only 
once have I sat up, and then returned to bed with a raging fever. Fever, 
bloody expectorations, sore throat, torpid liver, disordered kidneys, absence 
of all appetite, hemorrhoids, and great weakness, are my symptoms at pres- 
ent. My physician, Dr. Nichols, a skillful and experienced practitioner of 
the old school, is very faithful in coming to see me twice a day. Then my 
precious wife (God bless her !) has been unremitting in her attentions. Day 
and night, like a loving angel, she has hovered over my pillow, studying my 
wants, anticipating my wishes. Oh, I can never repay her for her self-sac- 
rificing and unwavering love ! I fancy she looks thin through her constant 
nursing, but she would not permit any one to take her place, and I am sure 
I do not want any one else. 

" Above all, dear mother, I have had the precious Jesus with me during 
every hour of my sickness. When my pains were most severe, He would 
let down on my soul such a weight of glory that I was obliged to break 
forth in strains of praise and joy. Oh, precious mother, how invaluable is 
full salvation in suffering and in the prospect of eternity ! To feel that the 
soul is washed in the blood of the Lamb, and to realize the perfect love that 
casteth out all fear that hath torment. Oh, this is more than all the world 
beside ! 

" But I am weary now. I can write no more." 

Through all his sickness Mr. Cookman retained his fondness 
for singing, and sometimes would have his wife and his little 
Mary and Helen on his bed beside him, joining in such hymns 
as " Rock of Ages," " Oh, how I love Jesus !" " I shall be sat- 
isfied," "Jesus calls me." His voice never seemed fuller and 
sweeter. One day he was so much better as to be able to be 
out in the sitting-room. Lying on the sofa, or reclining in an 
easy chair, his face wore a most heavenly expression, and his 
remark upon every thing around him was, " Oh, it is beautiful !" 
Seeing a gentleman walking fast on the street, he said, "That 
is the way I used to walk. I wonder if I ever shall walk that 



448 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



way again ?" His wife remarked, " Certainly but he seemed 
to doubt it. On the last evening that he sat up, his sister Mary 
being present, he asked them to sing, 

" Oh, it was love, it was wondrous love !" 
and other spiritual songs. He retired about nine o'clock, and 
that was the last time the family sung together. 

One day he said to his wife, " Do you know what I have been 
doing? I have been counting my friends." When told that it 
was impossible, he had so many, and that he could not have an 
enemy, " No," he remarked, " I do not know that I have. God 
has been very good to me, but you know there are some very 
special friends." 

Never was Mr. Cookman more devoted to his wife and chil- 
dren than now. Having consecrated his children to God from 
their birth, he confidently trusted them with the Heavenly Fa- 
ther. Every day he wished them all brought to his bedside ; 
especially the youngest, his baby boy, Alfred, whom he called 
his sunshine, he would have on his bed and play with him by 
the hour. His little Willie said to him one day, " Papa, do you 
think you will ever bathe in the ocean again ?" " No, darling, 
I reckon these feet will never touch that graveled walk again." 
He even taught his boys to recite pieces, heard his daughter 
Annie recite a hymn, was so cheerful that all thought him con- 
valescent, and, indeed, no one thought him critically ill until 
the day of his death. 

On Saturday, the nth of November, Dr. J. M. Ward, a mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian Church, visited and prayed with him. 
The Doctor afterward gave an account of the visit in The Guide 
to Holiness* 

" I saw our dear Brother Alfred Cookman just two days before he left us. 
Committing to me at that time the care of his weekly meeting for the pro- 
motion of holiness, he added, ' I shall be out in a week or two, and will re- 
sume the care of it myself.' So he doubtless thought ; but the dear Lord 



* July, 1872. 



THE SWEET WILL OF GOD. 



449 



had other service for him above. He was sitting in his chair by the bed- 
side, his face glowing with heavenly brightness. To speak was painful to 
him, from soreness of the throat ; and yet so full, even to overflowing, was 
his heart with the love of Christ, that he could not refrain from talking. 
As truly might it have been said of him, as of one of old, 'the love of Christ 
constraiheth me ;' for his utterances were such as the Holy Spirit only could 
give. 

" In answer to a question as to his sufferings during the week, he said, 
'They have been excruciating, and yet so gloriously has Jesus manifested 
Himself to me in them all that I have been immensely the gainer from them. 
Such views of Christ's presence with me — such views of His cleansing blood 
have I had as never before. Oh, the precious blood !' he exclaimed. Then, 
with an upward glancing of his eye, his head leaning backward upon the 
chair, he repeated, ' Oh, the precious blood, the precious cleansing blood 
of Jesus V 

"No marvel that he was getting clearer views of the precious blood under 
clearer manifestations of Christ to him, for he was ripening most wonder- 
fully, all unconscious to himself and us all, for his entrance upon his heav- 
enly inheritance ; he was being ' made meet ' for the abundant entrance so 
soon to be administered to him into the heavenly Jerusalem. * * * 

" The prayer was ended, in a moment more the parting was said, while 
hand was pressing hand, and the interview closed. But the glory filling the 
chamber of the sainted one seemed still to encircle me all the way home- 
ward, giving character to my first utterances to friends, as I said, ' Oh, what 
a blessed interview with Brother Cookman this afternoon !' " 

During the doctor's prayer he would frequently respond, 
"The sweet will of God." To his sister he said the same day, 
" If I could have life on earth by the lifting of my hand, I would 
not. If Jesus should ask me, ' Would I live or die ?' I would 
answer, ' I refer it back to Thee.' " To the Rev. Mr. Dunn, in 
his last interview, he said, " I wish that I could tell you how 
precious Jesus has been to me during my sickness. I have had 
such views of Him as I never had before. Right in the midst 
of my intensest sufferings He has so manifested Himself to me 
that I have been lifted above them all." 

He remarked to his wife, " God means something by this 
sickness ; He is either fitting me for greater usefulness here or 



45° LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 

for heaven. I am lying passive in His hands, trying to learn 
the lessons He would teach me. I am sitting in the hands of 
the Heavenly Artist." To one of his official members he used 
substantially these words : My Church is very dear to me ; 
my wife and children are very precious; my friends are dear 
to me ; but the sweet will of God I love better than all else ; I 
have no choice to live or die. God has some design in this 
sickness — Jesus is very precious." Often he would repeat, " Lo ! 
I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. " The same 
evening the Rev. William McDonald and two members of the 
Church visited him • he enjoyed seeing them, and during prayer 
there was an extraordinary sense of the divine presence. 

Sunday, his last Sabbath on earth, was a beautiful day. He 
requested his wife to open the window and let the bright sun- 
shine in the room, remarking, "The beams of the Sun of Right- 
eousness are shining around me. Glory all around !" He re- 
quested to be sung — 

" Come, ye sinners, poor and needy, 
Weak and wounded, sick and sore ;" 

and said, " That grand old hymn ! Yes, I am weak and wounded, 
sick and sore." 

He was very earnest all day in praying for the ministers and 
the preaching of the Word. In the afternoon Mr. McDonald 
visited him again, and they conversed closely and fully on the 
subject of holiness. He said among other things to this friend, 
" I have tried to preach holiness. I have honestly declared it ; 
and oh ! what a comfort it is to me now. I have been true to 
holiness ; and now Jesus saves me — saves me fully. I am wash- 
ed and made clean. Oh, I am so sweetly washed in the blood 
of the Lamb !" That evening he became extremely weak, and 
so sensitive to pain that he could not bear the least noise, and 
yet he was tender and quiet without the slightest manifestation 
of impatience, and so considerate that when he heard the voice 
of one of the brethren in an adjoining room he asked to see 



HEAVENLY VISITANTS. 



451 



him. The friend remarked, " Why, my pastor, you are all fixed 
up — collar on and wrapper on." "Ah," he replied, "your pastor 
has not much strength ; the outward is failing, but all is right 
within." 

Quite early Monday morning he asked his wife the question, 
"Where will you live, in Columbia or Philadelphia?" Affected 
to tears she replied, " Why do you ask me that question ? I 
could not live any where without you." Seeing her feel thus, he 
sweetly said, "I thought I would like to know." This was the 
first morning he was unable to shave himself; he was very 
weak, and he evidently was impressed that his end was ap- 
proaching. He asked his wife again, " My dear, if the Lord 
should take me away from you, could you say, ' The will of the 
Lord be done !' " She, startled at the question, replied, " I feel 
that you belong to the Lord, I have always felt so, but I do not 
believe He is going to take you away from me." He responded, 
"God's will is always right and best, dear." "But," she said, 
"how can I live without you?" He replied, "Jesus can be 
every thing to you ; He has been with us in the past, and He 
will never leave nor forsake you. You know the Bible is full 
of promises for the widow and fatherless. Live a moment at a 
time, ' looking unto Jesus and then, if permitted, I will be with 
you often ; I will be your guardian angel, and be the first to 
meet you at the pearly gate." 

His mother spent most of Monday with him. While she was 
present he lost the use of his hand. He remarked, as he looked 
at it, " This hand seems paralyzed, but it belongs to Jesus." He 
then repeated part of the hymn — 

" God moves in a mysterious way." 

His mother said, " I feel it a privilege, Alfred, to be in this 
room, there is such a divine influence ; it seems like the gate 
of heaven." He responded, "Yes, there are heavenly visit- 
ants here." About five o'clock P.M. she left him to return 
to her home in New York, not supposing him to be near death. 



45 2 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



As she was kissing him good-bye, he held her hand, and, 
gazing into her eyes, he said, " Next to Jesus, mother, I owe 
every thing to you. Your holy influence, your godly example, 
your wise counsels have made me the Christian and the minis- 
ter that I am." To his brother John he said, "John, you have 
been a mercy to me— mercy is written on your brow. My friends 
are all a mercy to me. I am not afraid to die. Death is the 
gate to endless glory; I am washed in the blood of the Lamb." 
He desired to see his sister-in-law, Miss Rebecca Bruner, who 
had just arrived from Columbia, Pennsylvania, and after inquir- 
ing for the loved ones at home, he said to her, " This is the 
sickest day of my life, but all is well ; I am so glad I have 
preached full salvation ; what would I do without it now ? If 
you forget every thing else, remember my testimony — Washed 
in the blood of the Lamb ! Jesus is drawing me closer and 
closer to His great heart of infinite love." To his wife he said, 
"I am Christ's little infant; just as you fold your little babe to 
your bosom, so I am nestled close to the heart of Jesus." 
Shortly afterward his oldest son, George, returning from New 
York, came into the room ; looking up to him, he said, "My son, 
your pa has been all day long sweeping close by the gates of 
death." At his request he was removed to the other side of the 
bed, when he remarked, " How sweet and quiet every thing 
seems; I feel like resting now." Very soon he became sick 
at the stomach, and immediately an effusion of the brain- took 
place, when he became insensible to outward things, and within 
about four hours, at eleven o'clock P.M., surrounded by his 
family and the trustees of his Church, he died, sweeping through 
the gates of Paradise, washed in the blood of the Lamb.* 
Thus, on the 13th of November, 187 1, passed to the bosom 

* It does not appear from the most accurate evidence that Mr. C ookm an 
said literally, " I am sweeping through the gates, washed in the blood of the 
Lamb yet his expressions, when put together, certainly justify the phrase 
which has obtained popular currency as his dying testimony. 



INTELLIGENCE OF HIS DEATH. 



453 



of God, in the prime of his life, one of the most saintly, earnest, 
and useful men of modern times. His dying testimony carries 
us back to the glowing record of St. Ignatius, when yearning for 
martyrdom : " Suffer me to imitate the passion of my God. 
My Love is crucified; there is no fire in me desiring earthly 
fuel; that which lives and speaks within me says — 'Home to 
the Father.' " 

The intelligence of Mr. Cookman's death spread rapidly, and 
was every where received with astonishment and pain. His 
most intimate friends, even those who had seen him during his 
illness, were shocked at its suddenness. The thought of death 
had not been really associated with one who had moved so re- 
cently among men with a vigor which promised a long and 
healthful life. The shock at his sudden death was only ex- 
ceeded by the universal grief which it caused. It was as though 
"one w r ere dead in every house" where he was known or the 
odor of his sanctity had entered. It is a question if the mys- 
terious loss of his father, though it may have gathered about it 
more romantic interest, excited a more general and profound 
grief. " When I heard of his death," writes a gentleman from 
Philadelphia, " I spent a week silently in tears." Exclaimed 
an old colored woman in Wilmington when told of his death, 
"Dat man gone straight to glory." His family, his Church, the 
churches which he had previously served, were overwhelmed 
with sorrow. From private persons and public bodies, from 
both the secular and religious press, there teemed the most ten- 
der expressions of regret and condolence. 

The funeral services took place in the Central Church, Mar- 
ket Street, Newark, at three P.M., on Thursday, the 16th. The 
following account appeared the next week in The New York 
Christian Advocate : 

"The parsonage was rilled at the funeral with ministers, chiefly Method- 
ist, but also of other denominations, who appeared subdued by the feeling 
that a very afflictive and mysterious dispensation had fallen upon the Church 



454 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



and the family in the unexpected removal of Brother Cookman. The plate 
on the beautiful coffin told the age of the deceased to be forty-four; and 
pure, sweet flowers rested on either end, at the foot in the shape of a cross, 
at the head in that of a crown. 

" At 2:30 P.M. the procession moved from the house, the family and bear- 
ers in carriages, followed by the officers of the Church, and perhaps a hun- 
dred clergymen from far and from near. One of the most affecting sights 
of the occasion was the little children of our departed brother about the 
coffin and in the procession, evidently not old enough to appreciate the full- 
ness of their loss. The church — pulpit, altar, gallery, choir — was heavily 
draped in mourning, and crowded in every part, including the aisles, out 
into the street, by a deeply sympathizing congregation. In the pulpit were 
Bishop Simpson, Rev. De Witt Talmage, Dr. Porter, Dr. Crane, Rev. Mr. 
McDonald, and others; the altar also, and a considerable portion of the 
centre of the church, were occupied by brother clergymen. The opening 
anthem came soothingly, ' Cast thy burden on the Lord.' 

" Rev. S. Van Benschoten read Psalm xc, and Mr. Talmage 1 Cor. xv., 
when the venerable Dr. Porter led in a solemn and appropriate prayer. 
Rev. Bishop Simpson then addressed the hushed audience.* Throughout 
the bishop's manner was very subdued, as though struggling to repress the 
rising of a great sorrow. 

" Rev. Mr. McDonald then rose and spoke of Brother Cookman in his 
relation to holiness and the National Camp-meeting Association.! The 
choir sang ' White Robes,' and the deeply affected congregation took their 
last loving look at their beloved pastor and friend." 

After the services the remains were carried to Philadelphia, 
accompanied by the family, members of the National Camp- 
meeting Committee, and a large delegation from the Central 
Church. They were deposited at the house of Mr. Frank Cook- 
man, whence the next day they were escorted to the Union 
Methodist Episcopal Church on Fourth Street, where additional 
funeral services took place in presence of a densely crowded 
congregation. As the clergy walked slowly into the church, 
the strains of the " Dead March from Saul " helped to deepen 
the solemnity of the scene. An anthem was then sung by the 
choir, and the Rev. Dr. Nevin, of the Presbyterian Church, read 



* See Chapter XXVI., p. 469. 



t Ibid., p. 474- 



FUNERAL SERVICES, CONTINUED. 



455 



the Scriptures. Rev. J. Dickerson announced the hymn, " Serv- 
ant of God, well done," which was sung by the congregation; 
and the Rev. Dr. Pattison offered prayer. The Rev. Dr. Sud- 
dards, of the Protestant Episcopal Church, afrer reading anoth- 
er scriptural lesson, addressed the audience, in which he made 
feeling allusion to his intimacy with the Rev. George G. Cook- 
man, and paid a high tribute to the excellence and usefulness 
of both father and son. The Rev. Andrew Longacre next fol- 
lowed in an extended address, relating to the character, la- 
bors, and death of the deceased* The Rev. Mr. Alday, pas- 
tor of Union Church, then spoke more particularly of the last 
sickness of the departed. The closing address was by the Rev. 
Dr. (now Bishop) Foster, of Drew Theological Seminary, New 
Jersey, who spoke substantially as follows : 

"Alfred Cookman belonged to a royalty. There are many royalties of 
earth; there is the royalty of genius, but I should not class our brother with 
these — he was not a genius. There is the royalty of intellect; of scientific 
research; of the power to unfold great doctrines and grasp great principles. 
Though a man of a beautiful mind, a clear and strong intellect, the range 
and sweep of his observation was not his most wonderful gift. There is a 
royalty of eloquence: our brother was not wanting in this; he seemed to be- 
long to a race whose lips were strangely touched. 

" But he belonged to a royalty rarer by far than any of these — the serafhic 
royalty of earth. He was not Pauline, but he was Johanine. He was the 
brother of John, who leaned upon the Master's breast, from whom he drew 
his inspiration. He belonged to the race of Fletcher and of Payson — the 
best and rarest royalty God has ever permitted to grace the earth. 

M When the brother prayed that the mantle of Alfred Cookman might fall 
on us, I said, 'Amen, Lord Jesus.' Not his mantle of eloquence or pulpit 
power, so much as his great, magnanimous, holy, and sacred character. 

"As my little boy brought the message of the death of Alfred Cookman 
to my lecture-room, he knew how it would strike me ; he knew he had min- 
istered at the altar where his sainted mother and sister used to worship ; so 
he said in a whisper, ' Father, Brother Cookman is dead.' Oh, how it 
shocked me ! I thought at once that the most sacred man I knew had gone 



* See Chapter XXVI., p. 476. 



45 6 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



away from us; and this is my testimony to-day. I have known the Church 
for thirty years; I have known the men of the Church during that time 
through all the episcopacy and ministry ; and the most sacred man I have 
known is he who is enshrined in that casket." 

" The casket was then opened, and the large concourse pres- 
ent were permitted, moving up the central aisles and retiring 
by the rear doors, to see the face they shall look upon no more 
till resurrection morning. Many as they passed bent over and 
imprinted a kiss on the cold lips and marble brow, which wore 
the natural expression and sweetest smile, remembered so well 
by all who knew him in life. Tears fell freely as the scores 
whom he had led to Jesus bade him a last farewell." The 
preparations for burial followed ; and Rev. Messrs. Gillingham, 
Turner, Dickerson, Major, and A. Wallace, surviving members 
of the class of 1848, Philadelphia Conference, of which Mr. 
Cookman was a member, carried the body of their classmate 
to the hearse in waiting, and also to the grave in Laurel Hill 
Cemetery, where the burial service was read by the Rev. W. L. 
Gray, Dr. Pattison, and Dr. J. H. Alday. The hymn " Rock of 
Ages" was sung — he having expressed when in health a liking 
for singing at Christians' graves — and just before sunset his 
body was committed to the earth. Laurel Hill, hitherto his 
Pisgah, was now his last resting-place. 

Memorial services were held in many of the churches of Phil- 
adelphia ; in Grace Church, Wilmington ; in Central Church, 
Newark ■ and also in Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, New 
York. The trustees of the Central Church, Newark, have had 
a Gothic tablet of Italian marble placed in the audience-room 
of their church, in the wall at the right of the pulpit, with this 
inscription : 

u £n JHemors of &eb. glfveti ©ooftman. 

Born January 4, 1828. 
Died November 13, 187 1. 
'He -walked with God and was not, for God took him.'"' 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



ESTIMATES OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 

We have thus seen the earth close over all that was mortal of 
Alfred Cookman. I have sought so to weave into the narrative 
of his life the traits which distinguished him, as they appeared 
not only to myself, but also to others, that now there seems 
but little need from me for any special characterization of the 
man or his work. Yet it may not be amiss, before dismiss- 
ing a subject which I have studied with constantly increasing 
interest, to briefly sum up my thoughts. 

It has seldom fallen to any man to possess a nature in all 
respects so admirably attempered as his was. He inherited 
the physical and intellectual qualities of both his father and 
mother, the distinctive type being possibly rather that of his 
mother than his father — having much of the father's fiery 
creative energy, he yet partook more largely of his moth- 
er's strong common-sense. In body he was more robust than 
his father ; in intellect he was less bold and incisive, but prob- 
ably equally sure, and even more tenacious. From a child 
he was healthful. When grown, in person he stood about five 
feet nine inches, and was well proportioned, with a full, round 
chest, a head of medium size, not a prominent forehead, sur- 
mounted and surrounded by rich, glossy black hair ; his eyes 
were gray, large and full, with a gentle, lustrous, rather than a 
piercing look ; his nose was straight, with sufficiently distend- 
ed nostrils ; his mouth wide, lips moderately full, well set, but 
not too tightly compressed, showing an expression of mingled 
tenderness and firmness ; a chin round, smoothly shaven, and 
massive enough for strength — the whole face just such as to 



U 




458 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



make you say when you had the hastiest view of it, " There is 
a marked and trustworthy man." With a ruddy complexion, 
a sinewy form, a steady step, an erect carriage, he looked like 
one born to command, and he did command. 

Mr. Cookman's fine physical fibre had much to do with the 
exquisite delicacy of his feelings. Truly natural, without the 
least artificiality, he responded healthfully to all the works of 
God about him, and was never more at home than when sur- 
rounded by primitive scenes and primitive people. He was 
very practical ; the farthest removed from an affectation of su- 
periority to common matter-of-fact life, he ever manifested a 
keen zest in all the ordinary occurrences of the family and the 
world. " There was nothing human which was foreign to him," 
in the sense that whatever interested his fellow-men interest- 
ed him. He never fell into the mistake of a morbid senti- 
mentalism which shuts itself away from men and things under 
the plea of contempt for mankind. He was truly modest, 
shrinking whenever possible from observation, and " wondering 
what the churches saw in him that they should desire his poor 
services." The lowest seat suited him best, and was inva- 
riably taken if the choice were left to him, and no man ever 
more surely fulfilled the apostolic injunction, "In honor prefer- 
ring one another." 

Generosity was strongly marked in his character. While he 
was incapable of retaining a grudge against an enemy, to his 
friends he was unbounded in his devotion. He could not say 
too much in their praise or do too much for their advantage. 
This quality made him charming as a pastor — no matter if the 
circle of his friendship was constantly enlarging, he had ca- 
pacity for its ever-widening increase — because he never seemed 
to forget or overlook any one he had ever loved ; and into the 
circumstances of all people, whether of joy or grief, he could 
enter with an ease and directness which made all who were 
the recipients of his sympathy feel its genuineness. During his 



GENEROSITY. FILIAL AFFECTION. 



459 



last sickness a gentleman called to tell him of the death of his 
boy. He entered promptly into the afflicted father's feelings, 
and in comforting him said, " Dear brother, the heart will ache. 
It is not wrong to weep. Jesus wept, and He does sympa- 
thize with us ; but remember Jesus can dwell in an aching 
heart." A day or two afterward the child was buried. It was 
a stormy day, and as Mr. Cookman lay upon his bed he was 
heard to pray that God would comfort the bereaved family, 
" for, Lord, it is hard to put away the little darling on such a 
stormy day." 

This generosity of heart made him very kind to the poor. It 
was not an uncommon thing for him either to send or to take 
a basket of provisions to a destitute family, and oftener than 
otherwise a substantial sum of money accompanied the basket. 
Generosity, natural as it was, took shape under Christian prin- 
ciples, and was not allowed to spend itself impulsively. The 
one tenth of his income was dedicated to strictly religious uses. 
The benevolent drawer as regularly received its tithe deposit 
as his pocket received the stated dues on account of salary or 
from other sources. Closely joined with this dedication of 
himself and a stated proportion of his income to God, was a 
firm faith in the care of divine Providence. There were times 
when, with a large family, he was reduced to great straits ; but 
he would always take his burden to the Lord Jesus, and some- 
how, often in a way wholly unexpected, relief would come. 
During these exigencies his liberality remained the same to 
others. "Their need," he would say, "may be greater than 
mine." 

One of the most lovely features of Mr. Cookman's character 
was his filial affection. He revered the memory of his father, 
and loved his mother with a devotion which led him to sit at 
her feet as a little child. The recollections he retained of his 
father, which were sedulously cherished by the mother, invest- 
ed the departed parent with a halo which, to the fervid imag- 




460 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



ination of the son, lifted him to a region ideally apart and un- 
approachable. The fame of the father was the son's natural 
inheritance, and as such he sought to preserve and improve 
upon it. And it is doubtful if Christian biography affords many 
instances where a guardianship has been more faithfully ren- 
dered, or an inheritance more legitimately and substantially en- 
larged. Alfred Cookman will live in the Church of the future 
as in all respects a worthy successor of his father, the Rev. 
George G. Cookman. That the son owed much to the father 
can not be denied ; but where has a son so well maintained 
himself on heights upon which his father's reputation placed 
him ? 

More, however, to the mother did he owe than to any other 
human being. I may repeat the thought of another and say, 
Mrs. Mary Cookman was mother of the body and soul of her 
son. What Wordsworth so justly and gratefully said of his sis- 
ter, Alfred could have said of his mother : 

" She gave me eyes, she gave me ears; 
And humble cares, delicate fears ; 
A heart, the fountain of sweet tears, » 
And love, and thought, and joy." 

Her native sense, delicate tact, moral ascendency, firmness of 
discipline, religious fervor, feminine tenderness, and withal de- 
votion to her son, which well-nigh inwardly consumed her with 
zeal for his welfare, afforded the happy combination of qualities 
which simultaneously and continuously stirred and guided the 
natural powers of her first-born. She never allowed him to 
outgrow her, and hence he never ceased to look up to her. In 
his middle age he could as confidently rely upon her under- 
standing as upon her heart ; and to the fact of this mother's 
influence may be largely traced not only the womanly grace of 
his mind and manner, but also the subtle force and reliable 
judgment which distinguished his career. 

In seeking for the ultimate cause of Mr. Cookman's power, 



MORAL AND INTELLECTUAL FORCE. 



461 



I am obliged to find it in his moral nature. Religion, built 
upon a sound, natural basis, was the real source of his influence. 
It is impossible to estimate the man without considering the 
joint and reciprocal effects of both his natural and spiritual con- 
stitution, for their interaction was marked from the beginning. 
This may be true of most men, but it was eminently so of him. 
These pages have certainly shown him to be a singularly god- 
ly person through his whole life ; the testimony of many who 
knew him most intimately, and who were well qualified by their 
good sense and opportunities of observation to judge, is to the 
effect that he was one of the holiest of men, as free from moral 
taint as any among whom he walked. A factor so important 
in the make-up of his character can not be disregarded in the 
determination of his intellectual calibre. That his religious 
condition did affect his intellectual condition can not be ques- 
tioned ; nor do I pretend to doubt, but claim it rather as a 
glory, that the distinctive energy of Mr. Cookman was spiritual 
rather than intellectual. 

But I am not willing to concede that this energy was so ex- 
clusively moral as some assert. He did not owe all he was to 
religion — no, not to that highest type of it, Christian holiness— 
in the sense that he could have been nothing, and would have 
had no marked power without it. He possessed by nature a 
very vigorous mind. Its structure was such that with the ordi- 
nary opportunities of education it would have put him in the 
foremost ranks in almost any profession he might have chosen. 
He was endowed with all the essential elements of success — a 
discriminating judgment, a retentive memory, a vivid fancy, a 
strong imagination, which saw things most clearly, a sympathiz- 
ing heart, a power of application and adaptation ; these, united 
to a handsome person and a voice of wondrous compass and 
melody, must be accepted as the faculties which ordinarily war- 
rant success. Genius, in the highest sense, seldom falls to 
mortals ; but if in its usual and lower sense it consists in the 



462 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



power which enables a man to see things as they are, and to 
transfuse them with a glow which makes other men see and 
feel them, then may we claim it for Mr. Cookman. What he 
talked about people saw and felt. 

It is true that he has given no proofs of profound scholar- 
ship, and that he has left no evidence of fierce intellectual 
struggles and doubts. But it will be remembered that his ca- 
reer was thrust upon him, by a Providence he could not disre- 
gard, to be a preacher rather than a theologian. The work of 
the evangelist was definitively pointed out as his mission, and 
not the work of the student. His vocation was consequently 
to make history, not to write it. An actor in one of the most 
important crises of the American Church and nation, he has 
left to others, who may have the leisure and the taste, to record 
what he and his compeers have so nobly done. Had he re- 
sisted solicitations to so wide-spread a public service, and with- 
drawn to the seclusion of the study, he might have been as 
noted to-day for the depth and versatility of his attainments as 
for his popular and effective eloquence. 

He did, I allow, accept calmly the doctrines of the Church. 
There is but little trace of dissent and disquiet in the history 
of his religious thought. But must spasms of disbelief, crises 
of fearful questioning, be regarded as the infallible signs of a 
strong mind ? Shall it be regarded as an orthodox word among 
those who scoff at orthodox Christianity, that no man can be 
voted to the grade of able and original thinkers who has not 
passed through the throes of mortal doubt touching all the 
great fundamentals of truth which the wisdom of ages has sat 
in judgment upon and approved ? If so, Mr. Cookman must be 
rejected. But it is a fact that many of the greatest minds of 
these and other times have never passed through any such 
phases of unrest. "So far from this, some of the finest spirits — 
those whose vision is most intuitive and penetrating — are the 
most exempt from such anxious soul travails. Indeed, I believe 



A SPIRIT ATTUNED TO TRUTH. 



463 



that there is no such safeguard against the worst consequences 
of such perplexities as a heart that is pure, humble, and 'at leis- 
ure from itself.' " # 

Such was the state of Alfred Cookman. His judgments were 
steadily, quietly reached ; not that his intellect was less capa- 
ble, but that a sound heart did the main work of the intellect. 

The medium of Mr. Cookman's power was the office and 
work of the Christian pastor. By ruling, visiting, and preach- 
ing, this power was exerted upon the minds and hearts of the 
flock of Christ. For the threefold duty of his office he was fit- 
ted by the gifts and graces just discussed. This fitness made 
him ready and able to use, as circumstances required, all the 
legitimate means of ministerial usefulness. He despised no 
means, neglected none, which could give him greater access to 
the hearts of the people. His invention was, ever at work to 
impart freshness to old means, or, if necessary, to devise new ex- 
pedients of exciting attention. He was among the first Meth- 
odist pastors to issue printed addresses to the congregation, or 
cards such as his " League of Prayer," to promote revivals of 
religion. He usually spent the forenoons of each day, except 
Monday, in his study, and the afternoons in pastoral calls. To 
the sick, the bereaved, and the penitent he was very attentive. 

His visits were an effective instrument of his great success 
as a revivalist. He would follow up closely those who in the 
congregation manifested a desire for religion, and the result of 
his careful attention to persons thus exercised was that they 
seldom failed of obtaining comfort. Underlying his thoughtful- 
ness and perseverance was his prayerfulness and faith. "I 
knew him," writes his wife, "when in Wilmington and other 
places, during a season of religious awakening, to stay up until 
near day-break alone in his study, pleading with God for the 
conversion of the people ; and when I have gone to him in the 
night and entreated him to rest, he has said he ' could not, so 
* " Culture and Religion," p. 106. 



464 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



great was his burden for souls.' He believed in intercessory 
prayer, and often remarked, 'Jesus spent whole nights in 
prayer !' " The Rev. Mr. Inskip, speaking of him at the me- 
morial service, Ocean Grove, said : " His great strength he got 
from God at the mercy-seat. # * * Perhaps on no other occa- 
sion was this more apparent than in that wonderful season of 
prayer at Vineland. A halo of glory was around him. He rose 
from his knees with his hands heavenward, his eyes closed, and 
the influence that was felt all over the ground told of his inti- 
mate relations with God." A gentleman of the Baptist Church 
spoke also of the same occasion : " I shall never forget the pict- 
ure I saw at Vineland ; it was under the arbor where Dr. and 
Mrs. Palmer were holding a meeting, and Brother Cookman led 
in prayer. He was on his knees, with his hands raised, asking 
God for blessings. Instinctively I opened my eyes. He rose 
from his knees, and reaching up as high as he could, seemed 
to grasp the blessings asked for ; and then, falling on his knees 
again, he thanked God for them. How much good it did me 
to see such faith that would just reach up and get what God 
was about to give." 

Prayer and faith were never lost sight of in his preparations 
for the pulpit. He sought direction of God in the selection and 
elaboration of his topics, and then depended upon God for their 
effectiveness. He was never happier than when preaching. 
While always pertinent and instructive, he was at times borne 
away by a tide of holy feeling, which swept both preacher and 
audience upon its resistless strength. Mr. Cookman seldom 
attempted great profundity or metaphysical niceties, but mostly 
dealt in the plainer and more substantial facts of revelation — 
stating them usually in simple language, and enlivening them 
with a natural imagery, a life-like or historical incident, so that 
they were apprehended by all, even the most illiterate, and en- 
joyed also by the cultured among his hearers. The late Rev. 
Albert Barnes, of Philadelphia, was exceedingly fond of his 



CHARACTER OF HIS PREACHING. 



465 



preaching, as affording to his mind one of the best examples 
of pure Gospel sermonizing. A peculiarity of Mr. Cookman's 
preaching was the frequent recognition of the three persons in 
the Godhead. The cross of Christ, the blood of Jesus, was a 
constantly recurring theme ; while he as repeatedly dwelt upon 
the person, office, and work of the Holy Ghost. 

It was by no mere novelties he drew the masses — the com- 
mon people heard him gladly, not as they rushed to see a show, 
but expecting from his lips the words of life; and he gave them 
bread, the vital truth of God, to feed them, and did not mock 
them with a stone. His popularity in the pulpit was not due 
to meretricious ornaments, or to the low buffoonery that caters 
to a vicious taste, but to what he was as a holy man, and to 
what he said as the ambassador of Jesus Christ. 

If his themes were few, they were chosen conscientiously, be- 
cause he believed it was impossible for a man who preached to 
save men to stir from the cross of the Redeemer. He did, 
however, present these themes with great freshness and unc- 
tion. " To me," said an eloquent minister, who knew him well 
and heard him often, "he was one of the freshest of speakers." 
Whatever of light from nature, art, or passing events could be 
shed on these topics for their more forcible illustration, he 
sought and diligently applied. Nothing was more apparent 
than that in the pulpit he was a thoughtful man in a thinking 
and active age. But, above all, did he make the invariable im- 
pression that his trust for the success of the Word was upon su- 
pernatural help. The hearer who did not gather this failed of 
the "simplest teaching of the devout preacher. The whole effect 
of the man was, that whoever might be the instrument used, it 
is God who giveth the increase. The effect of his evident reli- 
ance upon divine aid was also heightened by his free, natural, 
and forcible delivery. His voice and gestures were always 
suited to his subjects — now low, slow, and tender, and anon ris- 
ing into vehemence of sound and action with the cumulation 

U 2 



466 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



of thought and feeling. Ample preparation having been made, 
generally with the pen in hand, he entered the pulpit untram- 
meled by manuscript, and in the delivery of the sermon looked 
his audience directly in the eyes, and as he proceeded both gave 
and received inspiration. It is doubtful if, as a preacher, take 
him all in all, he had his superior for effective popular discourse 
among the younger men of the land. 

As to his capacity as a ruler, one phrase will express the 
whole — he ruled but little. He trusted his people, and they 
trusted him. He was an ensample to the flock, a model of 
purity in the minor as well as greater morals. His speech was 
always seasoned with grace, though not indifferent to the flavor 
of humor; he was the farthest removed from bitterness, coarse- 
ness, and trifling. He was temperate in all things — totally so 
in things which might occasion offense — moderate in dress and 
in household expenditures. With as keen a relish for the re- 
finements of life as any soul ever attuned to the harmony of 
sweet sounds, he yet esteemed saving men preferable to all the 
delights which art could afford. This thought is admirably 
pointed by the substance of a conversation had with him by 
Mrs. Battershall, of New York, while he was stationed at Spring 
Garden Street, Philadelphia : 

" Mr. Cookman, with that total absence of censoriousness 
which characterizes a perfect Christian charity, and yet with 
that earnestness we should expect from a faithful Christian 
watchman, when Zion's best interests are imperiled, remarked 
to me on one occasion that 'the culture of the beautiful within 
proper limits was all well and good, but he considered the glory 
of God and the good of souls of infinitely more value than the 
highest human culture.' " 

Mr. Cookman's views of the ministerial vocation did not shut 
him away from society or the nation. He retained fully his po- 
sition as a citizen of the state. To him, as to one before him, 
"politics was the body of religion and he ever took the live- 



HIS PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. 467 

liest interest in the great social and political questions of his 
times, as closely related to the welfare of Christ's kingdom and 
the race. He was decided and active in the Temperance and 
other humane reforms, giving to them not only his countenance, 
but his cordial support. Much less did his calling as a Meth- 
odist pastor exclude him from the most intimate fellowship with 
all the people of God. He was incapable of narrowness. He 
loved the image-of Jesus wherever he saw it, and was happy to 
count among his dearest friends and fellow-workers many min- 
isters and laymen beyond the pale of his own denomination. In 
no slight degree did his truly catholic spirit help forward the 
deepening unity and spirituality which are now pervading the 
several branches of Christ's holy Church. And it may be 
safely affirmed that there is no name of American Methodism 
of the present generation more ardently revered by Christians 
of all denominations than the name of Alfred Cookman. 

In assigning him his place in the modern Church, the distinc- 
tion which I claim for him is that of a marked illustration of the 
doctrine of Christian holiness. Whatever may have been origin- 
ally in the mind of God concerning him, evidently the provi- 
dential circumstances of his life tended to mould his character 
and to shape his mission for this end. He was not disobedient 
to the heavenly calling. He can in no sense be ranked with 
original men — such as found new systems of thought, new so- 
cieties, or even new methods of activity ; his rank is with the 
class who afford the material, furnish the facts out of which sys- 
tems, societies, and methods are constructed. As a fact, Mr. 
Cookman's life is of incalculable value to the student of the 
great problem of Christian ethics. No mind, however critical, 
can contemplate so striking an exhibition of moral purity, in its 
direct relation to the Gospel as its efficient cause, and ignore 
the importance of the divine element in the great process of 
elevating the human race. While" to Christian inquirers with 
an animus to know what is the utmost that the Gospel of Christ 



468 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



can accomplish for a believer in Jesus, it is an instance which 
must excite the highest wonder and delight, as affording an- 
other example of the practicability and beauty of holiness in 
their own times and among their own circles. The grace of 
God purified the man while walking among his fellows, lifted 
him up to shine as a clear, steady light by the very pathways 
of busy people. 

And this, to show what Christianity can actually do for men 
as a purifying power, is what the world most needs to know. 
One clearly defined proof of this, such as is given in the case 
of our friend, is worth a thousand speculations. The danger of 
our age lies in the direction of sinking out of sight as a reality 
the agency of the Holy Ghost in the work of moral renovation. 
The tendency is to reduce the great first cause of salvation to a 
series of subordinate and incidental causes whereby man is 
manipulated into a new life. The scientific spirit is reasoning 
God out of the process of saving the world. An idolatrous 
worship of intellect threatens to drown in an incense of 
thought, culture, ideas, the stronger part of human nature, the 
heart, out of which are the issues of life. It is sought in 
some localities to politely bow out of society the Gospel of the 
cleansing blood, of regenerating grace, for a new Gospel of 
"culture." Mr. Cookman's life is an attestation of the abiding 
strength and the spring-like freshness of the old Gospel. It is 
an example of moral and spiritual purity, made such not by the 
innovating process of the "schools," but by the power of the 
Holy Ghost, through the blood shed on Calvary. 

" It is the old, old story of Jesus and His love." 

As such I have sought to present it to men. It may be that 
greater men have died without any such extended record of 
their lives ; but I doubt if any one has lived among us more 
worthy of careful mention. He embodied in himself the attri- 
butes of humanity most necessary to be known, loved, and imi- 



AFTER DEATH. 



469 



tated. These attributes had their rise in the cross of Jesus 
Christ, a source accessible alike to all persons. He lived and 
died an example of the reality and power of Christian purity — 
one of the most beautiful specimens of a natural, simple, yet 
divinely spiritual manhood which it has fallen to this or any 
age to possess, and as such he takes his position among the 
departed worthies of the Christian Church. 

Mr. Cookman .left seven children : George Grimston, Frank 
Simpson, Annie Bruner, William Wilberforce, Mary, Helen 
Kier, and Alfred ; Alfred Bruner and Rebecca Evans having 
died before him. Mrs. Cookman, his widow, and the children, 
have their permanent residence in Philadelphia, Pa. 



BISHOP SIMPSON'S ADDRESS AT THE FUNERAL OF REV. 
ALFRED COOKMAN. 

How solemn this moment of sorrow ! With slow and measured steps we 
have entered the church, as though unwilling to disturb what might seem 
to be the slumbers of a dear one. We have come to drop a tear ; we have 
come to take a last look ; we have come to gather around the form of a 
loved brother and minister, and now a saint with Christ Jesus. The as- 
sembling of such an audience is but a faint indication of the esteem and 
affection which a departed brother had gained for himself in the Church of 
Jesus Christ. Standing where we do at this time, as on the very verge of 
the grave, and looking on the one hand to the fleeting years we have to stay, 
and on the other to the eternity that stretches out to our view, how short 
seems life ; how unimportant the transitory interests of life, and how grand 
and sublime the realities of life just beyond ! Without the Bible, death 
seems like a pause in a journey, a resting-place, a cessation of activity, a 
moment of indifference to all things ; but with the light of the Bible it is but 
the commencement of an eternal life, the renewal of exalted powers, the 
preparation of a state of being higher and grander than that which has 
closed ; and there are interests that gather around it that touch every heart. 

There is not in this assembly one but has buried a friend ; there is not 
one who has not loved ones gone beyond the vale, and there is not one of 
us who will not be called upon in the order of Providence, probably before 
many years, to bury members of our families, or to be buried ourselves ; 



47° 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



and questions will arise as to what is this death, which smites down strong 
ones — this death that takes from our side the loveliest, that palsies the strong 
arm on which we have leaned, that makes silent the tongue of eloquence, 
the desire and glory of statesmen — this death that seems the end of the 
friendships of earth. I can not tell all that is in death, but one thing I know, 
that, as I have intimated, it is not the end of being, it is not the cessation 
of activity ; it is but a transfer from a conference on earth to a conference in 
glory, it is but a passage from earth to sublimer scenes and employments in 
the world above. We can not see those who have gone before us. We do 
not know precisely what they are. We can not tell exactly where they are. 
We do not know accurately the thoughts which burn within their being, nor 
the great facts that have burst upon their minds. We know but in part, but we 
know this, that they are very lovely, for they are like Jesus in all His love- 
liness and in all His glory. " Beloved, now are we the sons of God ; but.it 
doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall ap- 
pear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is ;" and the loved ones 
who sleep in Jesus, I know are like Jesus, though all that may be implied 
in that I can not tell. They think the thoughts of Jesus ; they enter into 
the great plans of Jesus ; they share in the great sympathies of the Son of 
God, and they are being transformed into the fullness of his glorified image. 
And what joy have they ! 

Often did our brother, who lies before us now sleeping this last sleep — 
often did he rejoice to look his congregations in the eye when standing on 
the platform or in the desk. How often has he addressed many of us who 
are here, and under the tones of his voice, his words, the message given him 
from God, we were spell-bound. He loved to see the children of God gath- 
ered around him, and especially was it a joy to assemble with those who 
now behold him, and to point them on and up in the way of life. 

But while this clay lies here in the midst of us, he has taken his place in 
" the General Assembly and Church of the First-born, which are written in 
heaven;" he has gone "to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just 
men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant :" Him he 
has seen, Him he has heard, and inconceivably grand visions have opened 
before him. How much he knows that he never knew before of the riches of 
heaven and of the great plans of God ! You and I have stood gazing through 
a partially opened door, but he has swept through the gates into the city, and 
the eyes which have closed on earth have opened in heaven, and in many 
respects what we fail to comprehend here is understood there. The lips 
which are silent are attuned to nobler strains. He sang sweetly here, and 
I have listened to his strains, as he sang of Jesus with his melodious voice, 



CONSISTENCY OF CHARACTER. 



471 



which is to be heard here no more ; but it is heard among the spirit voices in 
glory. We do not know what are the employments of the glorified. There 
are none of the unconverted to be preached to there, but there are the saints 
of all ages with whom we may mingle ; there are wonders of redeeming love 
to fathom ; there are new perceptions of the wisdom of God, and possibly 
there are missions to our lower world. I know in his heart he yearned over 
the Church of God, and in that heart he bent with the inquirer over the al- 
tar, pleading for forgiving grace. He joined with the pardoned, and tri- 
umphed in the love of God, and how often have I heard him sing the sweet 
doxology when souls were just born into the kingdom of our Lord. Over 
souls that are accepted from earth to their place in glory, over sinners 
washed in the blood of the Lamb, does he now exult ? I think he does more 
than ever. We sometimes think the Church will not triumph, and unbelief 
haunts our spirits ; but yonder he sees Christ waiting until his enemies shall 
become His footstool, and he sees how He makes all things work together 
for the triumph of His kingdom. 

I have no words of eulogy to-day over our departed brother, but I do 
know that in the record of his life, the mind which was in our Lord Jesus 
Christ was made manifest, and he had qualities worthy of our examination 
and imitation. I may say, without a thought of flattery, that our brother 
possessed no ordinary talent. Blessed with a gifted father, who has often 
thrilled the hearts of those who worshiped here, and whose voice was hushed 
as he went down in the waves, and with a family all of them in the Church 
of the living God, and he himself a bright example among them of personal 
piety ; early consecrating himself to God, himself being the instrument in 
the conversion of some of the members of the family, his was indeed a fa- 
vored lot. Entering the ministry at an early period of life, he devoted him- 
self unsparingly and constantly to the one work of bringing sinners home to 
God. 

As a minister he occupied no ordinary position. The churches which he has 
been called to serve, and the multitudes that have listened to him, attest both 
to his ability and fidelity. As a pastor he was kind, attentive, and faithful ; 
and I can speak both of the success of his ministrations and of his faithful 
pastoral labor from personal observation. Years ago he was the pastor of 
my family in the city of Pittsburgh, and my children became attached to him 
as their friend. And since we have been in the city of Philadelphia, he was 
again our pastor, and I saw him go in and out. He stood by the dying bed 
of one I loved, and his words and counsels were those of a Christian minis- 
ter. I can say that during all the time I knew him I never heard one word 
or saw the manifestation of any spirit inconsistent with the highest forms of 



472 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



the Christian life. In the pulpit or out of it, at the fireside or wherever he 
was, he was a faithful, pious leader of the people and follower of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Himself deeply devoted, he was very anxious to see a higher 
type of religion prevailing in the Church, and very often his theme was 
Christian holiness. I think, as he stands before the throne, he does not 
regret that so often his theme was " Be ye holy, for I am holy." I rejoice 
to say that he taught only the doctrine which a happy experience and godly 
life verified. He was kind in all his ways, and brotherly in the expression 
of all his views. Toward those who did not see as he did, he cultivated 
the kindest spirit. He taught the truth as he saw it in Christ Jesus, but at 
the same time he held out his hand to every one, and said, " If thy heart be 
as my heart, give me thy hand." This spirit was shown toward all denom- 
inations of Christians, and many of those of other persuasions loved to sit 
under his ministrations. True to the interests of his own Church, and firm 
in the utterance of her doctrines; he was far from having any thing of a spirit 
of bigotry, but every where he saw the image of his Master he loved it. 

Indeed, it is a mystery why he should be cut down so young, in middle 
age, and even more youthful looking than he was. Why was he cut down ? 
He stood by my bedside when life was trembling in the balance, and little 
did I then think that I should be called to speak when his voice was hushed 
in death. I seem to myself to be standing on the edge of the grave. I am 
walking in the tombs, and the ground is breaking under my feet. There is 
Thompson and Kingsley and McClintock and Nadal and Foss, and now 
here is Brother Cookman. Why is this ? I can not tell. We know that 
God can carry on His work. We know that He does all things well. Per- 
haps He is teaching the Church that it must look more to Him than to the 
instrumentality. He may be calling young men to take the pfeces of those 
who are falling from the citadel of Zion. There is a purpose, and there is 
a voice in these dispensations of Providence. 

Our brother was not called to pass through a very long period of illness, 
though he was ill for some days. I had heard of his sickness, and after- 
ward that he was mending, and seldom in my life have I been more shocked 
than I was when a telegram reached me that Alfred Cookman was dead ! 
I could scarcely believe it. He stood before me so fresh and young, so 
rounded in his character, so vigorous in his movements, that I could 
scarcely believe he was gone. I would not be anxious about what he said 
at the last, for knowing him in life, we know him in death ; and I could say 
of him what I could say of very few, that I know, as far as I know any thing, 
that he is with God, for he walked with God. Blessed are the pure in heart, 
for they shall see God. So that I am not anxious about any last expressions. 



THE VOICE OF PROVIDENCE. 



473 



Yet I am told he uttered just what I should expect of such a man, with his 
chamber " quite on the verge of heaven." To his dear partner, upon whom 
I trust the rich grace of God may rest abundantly, that as he was permitted 
in life to be her guardian angel, so up yonder he should watch, and open the 
pearly gates and welcome her in when she should come. He had a dream, 
or a waking thought, that he had gone up to glory, and his dear brother met 
him, and presented him as washed in the blood of the Lamb. His sainted 
father met him, and presented him as washed in the blood of the Lamb. 
His dear boy met him, and presented him in a similar way ; and he realized 
that he was washed indeed in the blood of the Lamb. He was a good man, 
full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and his life-work was manifestly done 
when he came to die. 

And now, Christian people, those of you who have sat under his ministry, 
what would these lips say if they could speak ? what would this voice utter 
if it could be heard ? Would it not say, " Come to the cross ?" — " Come to 
Jesus now ?" Would he not speak of the fullness of salvation ? Would he 
not tell of the love of Jesus Christ ? Would he not, if he could, unveil the 
glories of heaven ? Would he not say to you and me, "Brethren and sis- 
ters in Christ, ' Stand up for Jesus.' " And would it not be wisdom for us 
to do so ? Would it not be, that we should seek for and enjoy full redemp- 
tion in the blood of the Lamb ? Let us here consecrate ourselves more fully 
to the glory of God. Let us, Christian ministers, my brothers in the king- 
dom and patience of Jesus Christ, preach Jesus more fully, more powerfully, 
until the world shall be converted. The ministers are falling, therefore we 
who are spared should be more faithful, and pray to be made more success- 
ful from year to year. I would invoke upon our dear sister, who feels to-day 
that the light of her house and the joy of her heart has been taken from her, 
the rich grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. To this mother, whose smitten 
heart has been called so often to mourn, may I offer the rich consolations 
of the Gospel of Christ. Oh, how many ties are up there in glory ! A hus- 
band ; the second son ; this elder son — all of them saved. In the midst of 
years may the grace of the Lord Jesus be given unto her richly. And to 
these brothers and sister I would say, Oh, that this dispensation may be 
sanctified to their good. And on this brother, who is in the ministry of 
Jesus Christ, oh, on him, in addition to all that has been given him, may the 
mantle of his father and brother rest. And to these brothers, who are, hand 
in hand, taking hold upon the business of earth, and yet preparing for the 
state hereafter, may God strengthen them for their journey. And to these 
boys and girls, who will never more hear their father's voice, may God be 
gracious to you, my dear children. Walk in the footsteps of your father. 



474 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



Early in life may you manifest the religion which he chose, and may these 
sons be the sons of God. May the Spirit of God rest upon them, and save 
them from the snares of the wicked one. And these daughters, may they 
grow in loveliness, and may the spirit of Christianity be manifested in all 
their lives. 

Christian friends, with these weeping ones, this widow and mother, and 
brothers and sister, and children, may we covenant with God to be more 
faithful than ever. And may this church, that has echoed with his voice, 
witness a glorious revival of religion ; and may his teaching bring forth fruit 
to the honor and glory of God ; and when we come to die, may we have a 
peaceful hour in which to pass away, and may we mingle with that glorified 
company around the throne of God. 



REV. WILLIAM McDONALD'S REMARKS AT THE FUNERAL 
OF REV. ALFRED COOKMAN. 
I was never more profoundly impressed with my almost utter inability to 
discharge a duty than I am to present to you the character of our dear 
brother. I confess that since I first heard the announcement of his death, I 
have scarcely been able to control my feelings sufficiently to collect any 
thoughts for this occasion. My purpose is, in the very few words I shall 
address to you, to speak of our dear brother in his relations to the doctrine 
and experience of Christian holiness. I am sure, if he were permitted to 
speak about it, and to express a wish in that regard, it would be that this 
subject— in which his soul so much delighted, and upon which his heart so 
often dwelt with joy— should be made very prominent about his mortal re- 
mains. He was, in the first place, a consistent exemplar of the doctrine and 
experience of Christian holiness — none was more so. In casting my thoughts 
over the Church, I declare to this immense congregation that I can select no 
man in the ministry, that rises before me, that sheds forth a clearer light, or 
who spake more definitely and instructively upon this great theme than did 
he. He had a very definite experience upon this grace. * * * I think I shall 
not forget, either in time or eternity, the expression he made at the Round 
Lake camp-meeting two years ago, when he arose, and in a very modest 
manner said — "Alfred Cookman, washed in the blood of the Lamb f and 
that experience was repeated over and over again with great distinctness 
and force. Not only did he declare an experience on this subject, but he 
was able to stand in the defense of this doctrine. Wherever he went the 
people expected to hear the doctrine of Christian perfection, as held by the 



PRE-EMINENCE IN HOLINESS. 



475 



Methodist Church. They expected words of power from his lips, and they 
never failed to be gratified in this respect. 

When at the first there was a call for a National camp-meeting for the 
promotion of holiness, he accepted the position, and from that moment he 
has been one of its most earnest and loved promoters. He was with the 
brethren in this work at the first National camp-meeting at Vineland. He 
was at Manheim, at Round Lake, at Oakington and Desplaines, and then 
again at Round Lake, and then at the last at Urbana. And who will ever 
forget the sermons he. preached at these camp-meetings ? Such power, such 
thrilling pathos, such mighty influences, and such a divine unction as were 
manifest under the preaching of our dear Brother Alfred Cookman, I never 
witnessed elsewhere. There were hundreds of ministers, and I have no 
doubt thousands of members, who will thank God for those sermons he 
preached at Urbana, Ohio. 

I can not realize that my dear Brother Cookman is dead. I can not re- 
alize that I shall see his face no more — a face always wreathed with heaven- 
ly smiles, a face always indicating a blessing to those to whom he preached. 
I can not realize that I shall never hear that peculiarly sweet-toned voice, 
urging the sacramental host of God to " be holy," and to " be filled with the 
Spirit;" and those prayers offered to the Throne of Grace that bore him up 
to the very third heavens. It seems to me it can not be so — yet it is. It 
does not seem to me that in the work laid out for the National Association 
for the coming year that our dear Brother Alfred will not be there. Oh, 
how his presence ever cheered us ! how his voice ever thrilled us ! how his 
prayers and sermons and exhortations enriched us ! He will not be there ; 
and yet I am expecting he will be there ; unless there is something very im- 
portant to prevent it — he will come and linger around those scenes. A wife 
has lost a very loving husband ; these children have lost an affectionate 
father ; this Church has lost an honored pastor ; and the Church at large a 
worthy minister — but there are mourners here other than these. The mem- 
bers of the National Association for the Promotion of Holiness mourn as 
few others mourn. This dear brother has been with us in the days of our 
toil and affliction. Had you been with us as he has been with us, you 
might know of ties that do not bind many hearts together. A number of us 
are here, and we feel our loss deeply, and we know not how his place can 
well be supplied. 



476 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



MR. COOKMAN AS A CHRISTIAN MAN. 

BY THE REV. ANDREW LONGACRE. 

There can be no doubt that Mr. Cookman's personal character entered 
largely into the elements of his power. It was the substratum on which his 
ample influence securely rested. It is difficult, however, to distinguish in 
him the simply natural endowments from the precious gifts of divine grace, 
since grace began its work so early in him. But it is not necessary to make 
the distinction. As we knew him, he was a thorough Christian gentleman, 
and the outward grace in him was but the gleam of the light of the gentle 
spirit and fine feelings within. To many of us he was what Tennyson calls 
his friend — 

" The sweetest soul 
That ever looked through human eyes." 

He was magnanimous in every instinct, never little or mean, incapable of 
detraction himself and unsuspicious of it in others. His soul moved on the 
high plain where all is broad and liberal and unselfish. 

He was honest to his convictions at every cost ; and there were votes in 
Conference that did cost him something in other days, as there were convic- 
tions as a teacher of the truth more recently that were not unattended with 
trial and alienation of friends. But nobody had ever to doubt where Alfred 
Cookman stood on a question of conscience. And this was with no shadow 
of bravado or self-assertion, but in the "meekness of wisdom," with the very 
"meekness and gentleness," the "sweet reasonableness of Christ." 

His character was rounded and well poised, and there was with it also a 
deeper underlying wisdom than many who knew him well imagined, because 
it was always perfectly unobtrusive. Altogether he was peculiarly a man 
made to be loved. Unselfish in his friendship, his quick sympathies and 
warm interest w r ere freely given in return for the love we gave him. Few 
men have ever been so widely or so greatly beloved. In the churches he 
had served, and I speak understandingly, for I have twice followed him at 
considerable intervals, his name is embalmed in a deep and peculiar affec- 
tion, as one dearer and better than other men. 

Higher than all else was his character as a man of God. It was because 
we saw and felt the holiness of his life that his influence was so strong with 
us. His mind was drawn to the subject of entire sanctification in the very 
beginning of his ministry by Bishop and Mrs. Hamline, then visiting New- 
town, one of his appointments. For a number of years, however, his views 
were undecided with respect to this doctrine. But about thirteen years ago 
his conscience was awakened to it again, and he entered into the clear en- 



A MODEL METHODIST MINISTER. 



477 



joyment of it as a personal experience. His convictions on this subject be- 
came from that time the profoundest of his mind and heart ; and he never 
failed, on all fitting occasions, to let his belief and his experience be well 
understood.' Yet I need scarce remind you that his confession had in it 
nothing of self-exaltation. He never failed to disclaim all goodness in or 
from himself; but he rejoiced always, and with an exultant faith, in the 
power of the blood of Jesus to cleanse him from all sin. 

His own faith and experience never seemed to separate him from others 
who did not think or feel as he did. No one felt at a distance from him by 
reason of his holiness. It was a holiness that attracted, not . one that re- 
pelled. 

He has supported this scriptural teaching with all his consecrated abili- 
ties. To it he has given the most cogent of his arguments, and still more 
effectively his almost irresistible powers of persuasion. 

But his life has been more powerful still. Men might, if they pleased, op- 
pose his arguments with doubts and objections ; they might even turn away 
from his burning appeals ; but no one could question the living purity of 
the man, the practical embodiment of holiness in his life. In the shadow of 
approaching death he expressed his joy and gratitude that he had been per- 
mitted to experience and to uphold this great salvation, the fullness of the 
power of Jesus Christ to save. 

And he has gone. In the golden prime of his days, in the fresh maturity 
and plenitude of his beautiful life, he has gone from his work, and from us, 
who have loved him so well. 



Recollections of Alfred Cookman, as a preacher, by the Rev. 
James M. Lightbourn, of Baltimore, Md. : 

"Alfred Cookman was the best model of a Methodist preacher I ever 
knew. He was, in the highest and strictest sense of the word, a gentleman. 
True politeness springs from the heart — such was his. He was as gentle 
and respectful to the humble poor as he was graceful and polite to the most 
refined and cultured. With suavity of manners he united firmness of char- 
acter. While his spirit was most loving, and his nature.gentle and extreme- 
ly sensitive, he was a hero in the cause of truth, both aggressively and de- 
fensively. 

" As a camp-meeting preacher, Alfred Cookman was a prince among his 
brethren. An announcement that he would preach always insured a large 
congregation. A sermon preached by him at the Camden camp, upon the 



478 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



subject of entire sanctification, will never be forgotten by those who heard 
it. It was the clearest exposition of the great doctrine I ever heard. His 
appeals were irresistible, and swept all hearts. The fire which he kindled 
that day he drew from heaven. The Spirit of the Lord God was upon him 
— his face was like that of an angel, and his voice rang over the vast audi- 
ence carrying conviction to many Laodicean hearts. Revivals have been 
known to follow his camp-meeting efforts." 

A tribute from the Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, D.D. : 

" The Rev. Alfred Cookman's life comes back to me like the sound from 
a church-bell embowered in trees on a soft June day. It was nothing so 
much I ever heard him say, or any thing I ever saw him do, that so im- 
pressed me as himself. He was the grace of the Gospel impersonated. I 
met him often on the platform of religious and philanthropic meetings. To 
be with him was to be blessed. The more I saw him the more I loved him. 
His preaching was not made up of ten grains of metaphysics and nine grains 
of German philosophy to one grain of Gospel, but with him Christ was all 
and in all ! Sweep a circle of three feet around the cross of Jesus, and you 
take in all that there was of Alfred Cookman. 

" It is not so much the Methodist Church that suffers from his departure 
as all Christendom. Oh, that we all might have more of his spirit, and die 
at last his beautiful and triumphant death !" 

The Rev. E. Wentworth, D.D., editor of The Ladies' Reposi- 
tory, writes : 

" Alfred was the most thoroughly religious man of my acquaintance — re- 
ligious beyond suspicion of cant, hypocrisy, or profession. 

" In social life his religion was never obtrusive, but you felt its perpetual 
presence and abiding power. This was not Sunday religion or pulpit piety, 
camp-meeting fervor or revival fire. His devotion was a living flame, his 
example a shining light, his influence a genial glow, his eloquence genuine, 
his zeal — the offspring of his deepest convictions — unsparing. The only 
drawback to the pleasure and correspondent profit of listening to his pas- 
sionate appeals and sublime outbursts was the conviction that he was using 
himself up, and that he would die a martyr to his own fervidness before he 
reached middle life. It was even so. He belongs to the class of early mar- 
tyrs — geniuses like Mozart, Mendelssohn, Summerfield, and F. W. Robert- 
son — whose passionate souls made an early holocaust of the physical man. 
He has gone sweeping through the gates, as he went sweeping through life, 
and as he will go triumphantly sweeping up the streets of the New Jerusa- 



REFERENCES TO HIS CHARACTER. 



479 



lem, attended by the thousands converted through his powerful ministry, 
saying — ' Here am I and the children which God has given me.' " 

The Rev. Dr. W. M. Paxton's estimate of Mr. Cookman's 
preaching : 

" As a preacher, I always regarded him as remarkable. His sermons 
were solid, able, experimental, instructive, and sometimes brilliant, glowing, 
eloquent. His pulpit power, as I estimated it, consisted largely in two 
things : . 

" i. In the happy faculty which he had of giving an experimental cast to 
all his thinking. Few men have been as successful as he was in imbuing all 
their preaching with their own rich experience. 

" 2. In a singular capacity for pictorial illustration. This, I presume, was 
in a measure a natural gift, inherited from his distinguished father, who, I 
am told, was in his day unrivaled in this species of eloquence— but when his 
voice was silenced, the gift was reproduced in his son. I remember to have 
listened, or rather to have looked with great delight at his beautiful pictures, 
for they were so graphic that they passed like panoramic paintings before 
my view. I presume, of course, that a volume of his sermons will be pub- 
lished ; but permit me to suggest, also, that a small volume of pictorial il- 
lustrations, gathered from his sermons, might do great good. It occurs to 
me, however, that it is quite probable that many of his finest things were 
never written. The faculty being a gift, and not an acquirement, I can well 
understand that it would be fettered rather than assisted by the pen." 

From the Rev. George S. Hare, D.D., the successor of Mr. 
Cookman at the Central Church, Newark, New Jersey : 

" I first met Alfred Cookman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was very 
open and frank, and went at once to a warm place in my heart. The thing 
that struck me, outside of himself, at Pittsburgh, was that he was so entirely 
loved, and almost idolized by his people. I could easily tell why, from the 
impression he had made on myself. I met him again soon after in New 
York, where I was a pastor, and he had come to speak at an anniversary. 
I do not remember to have had any further intercourse with him until he 
succeeded me as pastor of the Central Church, in New York. I had re- 
moved to Trinity, in the same city, and of course we saw much of each 
other. I think the relations of an old pastor and his successor were never 
more delightful. Knowing the Church by heart, I had an opportunity to 
observe his influence upon it — to see how quickly he won all hearts, and 
how entirely they came to confide in him as a friend and teacher. He fol- 



480 



LIFE OF ALFRED COOKMAN. 



lowed me also at Trinity, and our relations remained the same. We were 
true friends and brothers in our work, and Alfred Cookman never impressed 
me but in one way — as the gentlest, purest, and most sincere of men. I am 
again his successor, but never more will he succeed me. I came here under 
the shadow of his death to a broken-hearted people. It is doubtful if he 
ever accomplished more for a Church in any full term of service than for 
this Central Church of Newark in the few months of his pastorate here. 
He was ripe in his holiness, and his influence fell like a power of God on all 
around him. His triumphant death sealed it all, and left the Church so 
chastened in spirit, so in love with goodness, so aspirant toward purity, that 
it has been but an easy and joyful task to lead it on to good and noble 
works. His memory here is as sweet and precious as the memory of mortal 
man can be. I attempt no estimate of his character, but I give these few 
impressions of an influence which has fallen like sunshine on my way, with 
gratitude to God that He gave me Alfred Cookman for a friend and a 
brother." 

I can not more appropriately close these testimonials to 
the worth and usefulness of Mr. Cookman, nor the history of 
the life which it has been my pleasant task to record, than by 
quoting the reference made to his character and death by 
the Rev. W. M. Punshon, in the memorable address delivered 
by that gentleman before the late General Conference of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church in the city of Brooklyn. After 
eloquently characterizing Bishops Baker, Clark, Thomson, and 
Kingsley, the Rev. Drs. Mattison, Sewall, McClintock, and Na- 
dal, all of whom had died since he came to America, he said : 

"And then I think of a later loss than these — a blameless 
and beautiful character, whose name had a hereditary charm 
for me, whose saintly spirit exhaled so sweet a fragrance that 
the perfume lingers with me yet, and who went home like a 
plumed warrior, for whom the everlasting doors were lifted, as 
he was stricken into victory in his prime, and who had nothing 
to do at the last but mount into the chariot of Israel, and go 
' sweeping through the gates, washed in the blood of the 

H 232 82 4 

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